Space Patrol Beta: Mission Zero
by FlameAmigo619
Summary: Payton City is the home to many strange creatures and when evil threatens to bring chaos to the city, a young agent must form a team to stop evil and to keep the chaos at bay. See how it all began. Loosely based on Space Patrol Delta. All OC team.
1. Spark

**A/N: Greetings folks, Zak here. I realize after doing PRMK for over a year that I wanted to do more. I wanted to try and make other stories and here is my newest story: Space Patrol Beta. Now I know what you're thinking. SPB? Wow, what a rip off. Well this started out as a roleplay idea with these two between me and sassynekobabygirl830. Arrow originally belonged to someone else but was then passed to me. Hope has always belonged to Julie. Then one day we thought, why not bring them to fanfiction? Arrow made a brief cameo in a PRMK break and Hope is expected to show up soon as well. THIS is their origins story. 13 episode mini-series that will hopefully not take so long. And yes, we're going with novel format this time. I hope you all enjoy this and leave me some feedback. This series has a bunch of potential to it. for the record this story has little to NOTHING to do with Space Patrol Delta. Think of it like an AU sort of story. Anyways, sit back and enjoy!  
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**DISCLAIMER: Arrow Lite and Hope Markey (c) to Julie Welch and Zak Kayes.  
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**SPACE PATROL BETA: MISSION ZERO  
CHAPTER 1: Spark  
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY ZAK KAYES AND JULIE WELCH**

_This is Commander Arrow Jayson Lite, Space Patrol Beta Red Agent, Log 96. You know, every time I do one of these, I just ask myself if anyone will ever watch this. But, I was instructed to do so and even though I don't take kindly to pushy orders, I don't really have much of a choice. You'll find out about me later. It's the year 2035, the fourth of October. Over the past few days, strange blackouts had been occurring within the busy business districts of Payton City. It was almost like electricity was being drained bit by bit. This city, if you can't tell, is my home; home to both animal hybrids and alien species alike. I didn't think different species could live in peace and with these weird disturbances going around, I had a feeling I was right. It had started downtown with the mall experiencing a strange black out. Then smaller stores in the area had begun to experience the same mysterious blackouts. And then cars began to not work in the morning. It was spreading. At first I thought it may have been a computer virus but instincts told me, it was something a little more complex than this. A virus would have shut down things much faster and wouldn't waste time on the little things like street lamps, apartments, just the big areas. But I really should have known that day that there was a much bigger picture then what I could have imagined._

The subway station was quiet, despite the faint rumbling echoes through the tunnels on the left and the right. The clock's hands indicated the time at half past two in the afternoon. Very few people were standing on the station. Not many would take notice because normally the subways were packed. But today was a Saturday and not many were up and about in the afternoon. Standing on the platform was Hope Markey, a young royal blue cat, 20 years of age. Her jet black tank top hugged her slender frame, helping to bring out the little blue bolts in her hair and along her tail. The air breezing down the tunnel made the cat shiver, debating on whether or not she should have buttoned up her jean jacket. Her faded jeans matched her jacket, as well as her sneakers. Due to the brightness of the day, Hope had chosen to wear red sunglasses and kept them on her head for easy access. She waited patiently, looking down at her watch to check the time. Her attention turned up to the florescent lights as they began to flicker. The cat's tail twitched as she watched static and loose electricity emitting down the tunnels. Shrugging, Hope stepped back and sighed gently, almost jumping though when sparks fall beside her with a loud crackle.)

"And everyone asks why I don't take theses stupid things..." said the cat. Her left ear twitched and her attention is brought to the sound of a train rumbling down the rails. Eventually the train stopped by the station.

"Well it's about time." She said.

Casually, she walked into the subway car, finding herself a seat to sit down in. Her eyes wandered around the inside of the car and only one or two people were seen inside. Sitting back, she withdrew her I-Pod and turned it on, placing her headphones gently into her ears. As the train came to a stop at the next station, more passengers stepped through the doors to start filling up the car. Hope's eyes moved from the screen of her I-Pod to observe the other passengers that had come on. None seemed to catch her eye until she spotted a porcupine, Arrow. He leaned against the pole, taking off his black sunglasses, putting them further up on his head. Hope examined the figure for a moment, starting from his shoes. They looked similar to her sneakers, a mix of red, yellow, and white. She noted though they seemed more like boots than anything else. He wore jet black pants and a black and yellow belt, white gloves with black fingertips, and an open vest that exposed his toned body and pale white chest fur. His fur was that of a near perfect crimson and his skin was a graceful tan. With his glasses removed, Hope noted his amber irises, perhaps the most alluring feature of this mysterious porcupine that had now placed his hands within the pockets of his jeans. He sighed quietly, fixing his vest for a moment before deciding to sit down nearby her. Looking up, Hope scooted over to give him some room. Arrow looked at the cat beside him then looked away as Hope fixed her jacket. Once again, the lights flickered lightly, but not as much as before.

"...huh." mused the porcupine.

Hope looked up to the lights and shook her head. "They really need an electrician to fix these cars."

"I know." He said, looking to the other side of the car. "These cars are old."

The feline glanced briefly to the male. "Yeah, you're telling me. "

"Have you noticed this happening anywhere else?"

"No." she paused. "Well, yes. Do you know why?"

"Not yet."

The lights flickered once more and Arrow stands up, muttering something under his breath. He pulled out something from his vest pocket and opened it. The object is in the shape of a wolf head silhouette, black and white, which looked sort of like a badge. Pressing a button on the side, the screen turned on and he raised it up slightly, looking around the area, then back at his watch. Curious as all cats were, her ears twitched while looking at the lights before looking to Arrow confused.

"What is that?"

Before Arrow could answer, the train lurched forward and the lights go completely out. Hope fell down to the floor with a yelp, the contents of her backpack spilling out. Arrow grabbed for a pole but still fell down to the ground with a thud. A devious smirk appeared on his face.

"…found you…"

"What?" She rubbed her head. "What's going on?"

Arrow looked out the windows, making sure to stay a good distance away from the glass should something surprise him. His right ear twitched as he made out the sounds of growling at a low volume, similar to that of a dog's growl. Both of Hope's ears perked up from hearing the growls. She quickly started gathering the fallen objects from her backpack. Her attention turned to the window but she yelped when she heard the sound of something connecting with steel. Arrow turned his head, trying to trace the sound of the electrical fizzling. The porcupine immediately went to the doors and gripped them, prying them open. He looked through to see the station ahead. Stepping back, the train jolted forward again with the lights coming back on. The train car then began to move again with the blue feline getting up again and groaning as she clung to a pole for support.

"From now on, I'm not taking one of these stupid things again!" yelled Hope, angrily.

The train arrives at the night station with confused looks from the people on the station. Right when Arrow and Hope were leaving, the lights started flickering and the power sparked out yet again. The station became nearly pitch black until a series of yellow eyes emerged in the darkness. This caused people to start screaming and running away. Hope, though confused, looked out the windows and covered her mouth to silence her surprise after seeing a pair of eyes moving through the darkness.

"Who? W-what the hell are those!? "

Arrow stared at the eyes and put away his badge, making a break for one of the car doors, opening it, and racing away through it. Hope groaned and shook her head, reaching into her back pack to bring out a glow stick. Cracking it, she started heading to the front of the car with the open doors and jumped out to the ground, rushing over to nearby the station. She stared at four weird black wolf-like creatures on the station, looking around, two of them digging into the electrical cables with their teeth, sapping the electricity. The feline thought for a moment, clinging to the wall out of both fright and confusion. Despite this, she HAD to think.

"Now why would they want electricity?" She looked up ahead to find the front of the train has taken off. "Joy, the conductor unhooked us and left us so he could save himself, coward."

The scream of a child was heard and Hope's eyes turned to the sound, seeing a little child backing up from one of the creatures. The creature attempted to scratch the child but was hit with a thunder ball to the side of the head. Hope jumped onto the platform with her left hand glowing with static.

"Go on, try that again." She said.

She stepped in front of the child and the child quickly ran away up the stairs. The other 3 creatures turned to start growling and barking at Hope. With no weapons, Hope slowly backed up.

"Crap! I didn't quite think this through."

Not wasting any time, she turned and was about to race away until the gates shut close. She sighed and turned around to see the creatures still growling at her. She raced up and jumped on top of the train, with one of the other creatures jumping on top.

"Oh brother." She groaned. "I haven't got time for this!"

She dashed off down the train top, trying to get away from the creature. But the creature was quick to chase her, shooting out a bolt of electricity that narrowly missed her. Yipping, Hope leapt down and ran to the tunnels that are still lit up.

"My powers won't work down here; they'll just eat it up."

Hope continued to dodge bolts thrown at her easily. She stopped, seeing the creatures stalking her. The feline brings her palms together and expanded her hands, creating a thunder ball. With one hand, she threw it at the creature, hoping the ball will stall it. The creature kept throwing thunder but the ball Hope threw stunned him and sent him skidding back. The creature growled loudly and started barking, making the train shake. Hope lost her footing and started sliding down the side of it. Thankfully, she caught herself on the wall to push herself up on to the train. There, she was greeted by the other three black creatures.

"…shit."

The four black creatures started to glow and pulse energy and then they shoot a collective thunder blast that hits Hope straight on, blasting her off the train to crash onto the ground. The four jumped down and touched each of the wheels, making the car start to jolt and start moving towards Hope. Hope tried to get to her feet but she was unable to. However, before the train connected, a figure dashed by and grabbed Hope, pulling her out of the way.

"GAH!" she yelled, clinging to the figure. She looked up to see the figure who grabbed her in the shadows. "What the-who are you!?"

The figure who saved her wore a dark red battle suit with stripes of white on the wrists and a visor similar to a motorcycle helmet with a mouth plate. He stepped forward and looked back at Hope.

"Leave these to me, citizen." said Arrow, walking out of the shadows to stare down the beasts. "Hey beasties! I thought we had a little deal! You stay to your own district and you don't invade public property!"

The creatures simply hissed at Arrow who responded with a shake of his head.

"Why should I not be surprised?" He sighed. "Now come on, I can get you bunch back and I probably won't remember this happening."

Hope stayed down and watched quietly. With a loud roar, one of the black creatures threw a thunder ball at Arrow. At the last second, he brought up a weird disc with spikes that blocked the ball.

"I am giving you a warning." He said with a chilling tone to his command. "Try that again and I WILL take action. " The tallest of the four creatures roared something in a different language. Arrow shook his head. "Really? There's no need for such language. He chuckled then summoned another disc. "BRING IT!"

Arrow suddenly raced in with the discs. All Hope could do was watch with wide eyes of confusion, backing up lightly. The thought of running for her life jumped to the forefront of her mind but she dismissed it.

"This CANNOT be happening." She said.

Two of the creatures started to race forward and Arrow leapt forward, sending both discs spinning to the creatures. The discs sliced through two of the creatures and turned them into pixels, dropping onto the floor. Arrow rolled and caught both discs, getting to his feet. The shortest of the four started throwing bolts of thunder that Arrow skillfully evaded in rhythm. The shorter creature charged in with a club like device that Arrow blocks with both discs, knocking him back with a kick. He rolled over the creature and sliced him in half easily. With the tallest creature left, Arrow made the discs vanish and he got into a martial arts stance, suddenly zipping forward in a fiery blur. Before the creature can react, the fiery porcupine dealt a swift thrust kick to the creature's gut, a high uppercut, followed by a back elbow and jumping thrust kick. Once again, Hope rubbed her eyes at the sight of this.

"How is he doing this? No one can move that fast!"

Moving with fiery blurs, he brought out of the discs again and dealt slice after slice and after slicing, easily evading wild punches before he leapt over and twisted his body down, slicing the creature in half and into pixels. Arrow stood there for a moment, panting, before rising up his badge from his holster on his belt. Before he could press the button on the side, the pixels then started to join together to form a tall, muscular grunt-like creature.

"Right, probably should have expected this. You're under arrest for tampering with the electrical grid for at least half the city, destruction of public property, endangering of citizens, and quite frankly, I don't like you." said the porcupine. The creature growled and roared in a weird language yet again and Arrow chuckled quietly. "…why not, let's add verbal assault too."

"He can't seriously be thinking he can take them on all on his own. "said the cat from the sidelines.

(The creature glowed yellow and four more black creatures emerged from the grunt.

"I love it when the odds are against me!" laughed Arrow.

Going to the holsters on his belt, he retrieved two blasters and started shooting, dashing from the sides. However, the blaster shots do little against the grunt. The beast charged at Arrow as he ran up a wall, shooting the beast in the back. However, two of the creatures shoot Arrow with lightning in the back, stunning the porcupine so the beast could grab Arrow and throw him through the wall. Hope could watch no longer and rushed in with fists glowing, charged with blue lightning. She punched one of the creatures, shattering it into pixels. The three remaining turned to Hope and charged at her. Through her anger, she was able to focus her powers. Leaping up, she tilted her body sideways and drove her knee into a creature's face, landing on the ground to hit a combo of punches and kicks before shattering the creature with a thunder punch. Arrow, getting up from being thrown in a wall, dashed in to assist Hope. With a blur, he sent his discs out to shatter the other two into pixels. He regroups by Hope to look up at the bigger beast.

"So, mind telling me what the hell this thing is?" asked Hope.

"Need to know basis, sorry." He said, dashing in to slice at the beasts legs in an attempt to bring it down.

She sighed. "It's not like I'm gonna tell anyone but whatever."

On the other side of the beast, Arrow shot out rapid balls of fire, also shooting out precise blaster shots to the back of the head. Whenever the beast turned, Hope attacked with fierce blue thunder balls. This continued while Hope controlled her own thunder, shooting it in just the right spots to inflict maximum damage. With swift blasts of fire, the beast tried to backhand Arrow as fast as it can but Arrow was too fast, knocking the arms back for swift slices to the chest. Stepping back, Arrow made the discs rise up. Putting away a blaster, he kept another blaster up and turned a dial on the side,

"HELIX STORM!" he yelled. "CONTAINMENT BLAST!"

Pulling the trigger on the blaster, a dark red blast rocketed out. This passed through the two discs which served to amplify its strength. The blast rocketed out from the second disc and hit the beast straight on. The blast engulfed the beast and gathered up the fallen pixels, creating a white light. When the light faded, lying in the place of the beast was a silver card. Arrow casually walked over, picked up the card, and put it into a pocket on his belt that also holds his badge.

"So that's it?" said the cat with a curious tone. "You make him into a card and walk away not explaining you or anything here?"

"Basically." He started to walk away.

"Hold on, who exactly are you?" she said, quickly following behind.

He paused and turned his head back to her. The feline tried to look through the visor but was unsuccessful.

"…just consider me one of the good guys. Go back up to the lobby and wait for the authorities. " said Arrow.

Hope sighed and looked back to the station, then back to where Arrow was walking to see that he had vanished.

"I am never coming back to these subways again." She said, hopping back onto the platform.

By one of the access tunnels, Arrow emerged in one of the lesser known areas of the station, raising his wrist up.

"Power down." he said, pressing a button on his wrist.

The suit dematerialized off of him and he pulled out his badge yet again and pressed a button on the side, raising it up like a phone.

"This is HQ, SPB Red reporting in."

A voice responded him from the badge. "Reading you loud and clear, Arrow. What happened this time?"

"We had a little Rezeco incident down in the subways. "

"Again? Isn't this like the eighth electrical disturbance in just this week?"

"You do the tracking Evan, I'm just the field agent."

Evan grumbled on the other end. "Hey I could be a field agent too."

"You flinch just when firing off a blaster; I'd love to see you in one of these suits."

"HEY! I have been in one of them, thank you! I designed them, don't forget."

"Right, right. I apprehended a Rezeco Grunt. I'm requesting a cleanup crew to check on the electrical system and send me the schematics for the area. Also, up the security in D1 for the Rezecos and keep them on a closer leash."

"Rodger that!"

Arrow closed his badge and put it away, merging into the incoming crowd heading out of the station, heading up the stairs and out through the gates to the main lobby area. Hope, sitting on one of the benches, suddenly spotted Arrow walking away.

"Is that?" Hope asked to herself. "No, it can't be. I need to be sure." She got up and started tailing Arrow, reaching him to tap on his shoulder. "Umm, excuse me, sir?"

Arrow paused for a moment before turning his head back to Hope.

"You're the guy from the train; the one that took off. Did you know what was going on with those creatures?" she asked him.

"I take it you haven't heard about them?"

"No. I have never heard nor seen them before. You seemed like you knew what they were. But before I could ask, you took off."

"I was going to go get help." He said before starting to walk again. "That's what a good citizen does when in danger: seek help. You'd have to be crazy to face off with one of those creatures."

Hope walked alongside him, quiet for a moment. "Did you get that robot guy to help?

"Yes. I knew what I needed to do. Don't worry about what happened today. You may not see it or know it but this happens a lot around here. These sorts of events, I mean."

Arrow's gaze was directly in front of him. While the two were conversing, Arrow and Hope had exited the station and were now on the streets of Payton City. Though confused, Hope kept up with the porcupine, intent on getting answers.

"How do you know that or any of this? Are you like a secret agent or something?" She remarked with a gentle giggle.

"Let's just say I happen to know a few things that keep me alive." His gaze finally turned to the cat beside him with a frown. "Why are you still following me?"

"Well, because you must have had connections to get that guy to fight off the creatures. Personally, I don't think anyone walks around in a suit like—'

The porcupine stopped. "Stay out of it. There are things going on that you don't even realize.

"What?"

"There are things from the corner of your eye that you don't turn to catch or see. Keep it at that. "He said. He raised his hand up to point to a tall building in the distance that Hope turned to look at. "And leave it to them."

"Seems more exciting for me." said the feline. She started before looking back to where Arrow was to see no one is there. Her ears went down and she shook her head before walking down the street to the east to another building.

~!~!~

The big building that Arrow had referred to held many rooms and offices, holding the home of Arrow and many others. In a small circular room with windows on each side to observe most of the facility sat a large green furred bear. There was a desk with two chairs across from it. The desk was dusted clean, well-organized, with a few folders and pencil holders nearby. One would assume the person behind the desk disliked a dirty desk, even for a moment or two. There are a few folders and loose papers and a small coaster that holds a cup of coffee. Silas reached for the mug and raised it up to take a drink when he heard a knock on the door.

"Enter."

With a whoosh, the door slid to the right and the fiery porcupine stepped through, walking forwards till he was by the seats. Arrow would salute and Silas would acknowledge with a nod.

"The Rezecos got out again." Started Arrow.

"Evan informed me. Have a seat." Arrow nodded and sat down in the left chair. Silas let out a gentle sigh before closing the folder on his desk. "I seem to recall you sitting there only a few days ago telling me the situation with the Rezecos was under control. Is that correct?"

"Yes sir."

"This situation is starting to become rather tedious, Agent Arrow." started Silas. "It seems that right when we finish detaining one pack of Rezecos, another one seems to escape the D1 District.

"It was better than the alternative. I'd rather be able to keep them there and work a way to find them a suitable living area then a little hamster cage area."

"Ever the peacemaker, hm?"

"There would be no point fighting them for no reason. As long as we don't provoke them, they won't hurt us. Most of the time. The ones I fought down in the subways seemed hungrier than the others. They seemed more rabid and thirsty, not like the ones I negotiated with."

There was an awkward silence that was soon broken by the gorilla.

"Report to me on what happened."

"The fight lasted a little longer than usual. Evan and I had been tracking the electrical disturbances and that led me down to the subways. A small pack of Rezecos were feeding off the station electrical grid. I had to leave the area quickly to morph. They formed a grunt that I had to take out and contain. I already sent the cleanup crew down there. Hearing back, I'd say things are under control.'

"Good to hear. However, I believe you may be omitting a detail in your report.

Arrow blinked. "…omitting, sir?"

"There was someone else there in the tunnels with you, is that true?"

The porcupine paused and looked away. "Yes sir."

Silas pushed his chair back and stood up, going to where the window are with his back turned to Arrow.

"Tell me more of this other fighter." asked the gorilla.

"She was a blue cat. I don't know her name. She seemed resilient though her fighting skills could improve. She possessed some sort of item that allowed her control over lightning. She had some pretty basic attacks and only helped fend the Rezecos off while I got my bearings back."

"It sounds to me like you had a bit of trouble down there then."

"I was more than capable of taking those creatures on by myself.

"The safety of others and this city is more important than your pride, Arrow Lite." Arrow said nothing. "The outbreak of Rezecos has spread out our limited amount of officers all over the city. The people of Payton City need to be protected. Have you taken the offer of finding a partner into consideration?"

"…it has crossed my mind. But I have been fine taking care of these creatures on my own."

A puzzled look appeared on Silas' face. "You work alone yet you keep close contacts with Evan and Dakoda.

"Evan works with everyone and Dakoda is someone that I feel I can trust as backup. Technically that makes him an ally for me but not a partner."

"There are at least 3 other suits that could be put to better use then just collecting dust. (He turned to look at Arrow) If you ever run into her again, why not bring her here?

" With all due respect sir?" Arrow paused. "I don't need a partner to hold me back."

"Arrow," said Silas. "Don't forget that I am your boss and right now, the more agents we can get the merrier. I would like to see her in action to see if she has the skills to be an officer, at the very least."

"You know I don't play well with others." He said, slowly standing. "I'll...see if I can track her down. But I don't know her name."

"You said she is a blue cat, correct? I don't think are many blue cats in this city. Try to remember the details of her, you'll find her."

"…if you insist, sir." said Arrow, standing up to salute.

Silas saluted and Arrow turned, heading out the doorway with his hands in his pockets. He closed his eyes, frowning for a moment, and then started to walk down the hallway. Leaning against the doorway was a muscular looking silver wolf in the outfit of a SPB Lieutenant, Dakoda. His outfit consisted of a blue t-shit with a bulletproof vest, black elbow pads, black motorcycle gloves, and dark blue boots. There were a number of tattoos along his bicep, dyed with black ink. His jet black hair was tied in a ponytail with a few strands by his right eye. The left eye has a different color and look then the other, almost looking robotic. His head was down but turns up when he spots Arrow.

"Hey tough guy," said the wolf.

Arrow's left ear flickered and his head lightly turned.

"I'm surprised you didn't notice me when you walked out." Said Dakoda.

Seeing this, Arrow started to walk away. "I have things I need to do."

"Arrow, Arrow, Arrow... " said the wolf, following Arrow. "Is it all about work and no time to hang with friends?"

"With YOUR friends, you mean? I think I'll pass."

"Something's got you a little on edge, I see."

The porcupine sighed quietly. "I'm fine, Dakoda."

Dakoda suddenly walked in front of Arrow who stopped and refused to look at him.

"You know a long time ago my dad told me what "fine" stands for; you want to know what fine stands for Arrow?" asked the wolf.

Arrow sighed. "Freaked out, insecure, neurotic—"

"-AND emotional." Arrow still said nothing. "I kinda overheard what happened in there.

" You always eavesdrop on everything, Dakoda. So I know you heard everything."

"Long story short, he kind of has a point and I know you probably won't listen to him." Started Dakoda. "But you DO listen to things when I say them. You know I'm right by your side, whenever you need me. Call me your ally, your partner, whatever. I'm your FRIEND. Now whoever this cat girl is, she could help us out. Or do you not want anyone to "hold you back"?

"I didn't mean it like that."

The wolf crossed his arms. "Sure you didn't."

"It's just-…I don't need anyone else. I'm fine with what I have. I don't-…I don't like change."

"Ya mean you, me, and Evan. Our little group?

"The only real bunch of friends I've had." Said Arrow. "And then all of a sudden this mysterious girl shows up and—"

"You feel a little one-upped, don't you?" interrupted the wolf.

"What?"

"I know you well enough to know you're competitive."

Arrow only crossed his arms in response. "Is that really any of your concern, Dakoda?"

"Hm. Yea, I'd say so." He chuckled, patting the porcupine's shoulder. "Why so serious dude? Lighten up a bit. You need a night out on the town or you need to get laid. Either or, it would do you some good. Besides, what's keeping you from spending time with this wolfie?"

Thinking for a moment, Arrow looked to Dakoda and then out to the window letting out a sigh. "Well, I was going to head down to the training simulator and then head home."

"Need a sparring partner? I got nothing to do, what do ya say?"

"Not satisfied with the outcome of our last spar?" said Arrow with a cocky smirk.

"You may have beaten me but you got lucky."

"Skill always beats luck, you know that. So to answer your question: perhaps." he then began to walk back to the elevator with Dakoda following.

"Well maybe after you'll join me for a drink? I was gonna head to the bar for a drink or two if you want in."

"I don't go there to get drunk Dakoda." Said the porcupine. "Nor do I prefer to socialize there. It's not my thing anyway." Arrow pressed the elevator down button and waited.

"Relax man; it's not a strip joint though the thought is tempting."

"I'm sure it is." Arrow remarked, rolling his eyes.

"This new Billiards bar opened up in district D6, Jenga's."

"There's a perfect place to open one of those: in a shady little ghetto."

The elevator arrived with a ding and opened up. The two stepped through and Arrow pressed the lobby button, the doors closing in front of them.

"Come on man; remember back in high school?" asked Dakoda. "You were a beast at billiards."

"Well, I don't know if I can refuse a round or two." Arrow said with a faint smile.

"Knowing you, you may be off your game nowadays. You would probably get your ass kicked by this new girl in town anyway." Chuckled Dakoda.

Arrow actually paused in mid step and stood still. "…I'm sorry, new girl?"

"Yeah, this cat rolled into town yesterday. She came in and beat five of the best players in town. "

Arrow thought for a moment, something triggering in the back of his head. "…I suppose I can show up if only for the challenge."

"Yes!" said Dakoda, raising his fist up in victory.

"ONLY to see what this supposed new player is up to. I will merely be...an observer."

"Alright, no pressure. So see ya there at 9?"

"Sure. Later."

With the elevator reaching the bottom, both Arrow and Dakoda left the building.

~!~!~

All Arrow could think about for the rest of the day was the blue cat from the subway. It COULD be her tonight, he thought. Orders were orders...right? With a quick shower and a helping of leftover mac and cheese from the previous night, Arrow was ready. Walking to his balcony, he put his hands on the railing, watching the city lights from afar. His attire remained the same except under the vest was a white tank top. In his vest were his badge and a blaster in his pocket. Taking a breath in, he tapped his boots together and they turned on, making him levitate in the air. With a thrust of fire from his boots, he flew off into the air. About 10 minutes later he landed in the alleyways behind Jenga's Billiards Hall. As he walked towards the door, the smell of cigarettes and alcohol entered the porcupine's nostrils. Arrow paused by the door and sighed, covering his nose for a moment.

"This place has barely even opened and already it almost reeks." said Arrow to himself. "Good thing I brought my stuff then…the last thing I need is a supernatural bar fight."

He fixed his vest and opened the door to the hall. It is a fairly big hall with a tall ceiling and stairs on both sides leading up to the second story of the building. The room is well divided into a bar, a set of four billiards tables, and a lounge area in the back. The place is crowded and lively with people playing pool, drinking, and relaxing. There was quite a crowd around one of the billiards table: Table 3. Looking to the crowd, he kept to himself, putting his hands in his pockets. He walked over to the stairs and headed up, leaning over the railing to watch the game from afar. He didn't notice Dakoda walk to him and nudged him.

"Watching the new girl?" asked the wolf.

"Observing."

"From far away? Aren't you the type to get a front seat to the action?"

Arrow turned his head lightly. "Most of the time. I'm fine here."

"Heh. Suit yourself."

"You're not going to see for yourself?"

Dakoda shook his head. "Nah, the view is good from up here."

Arrow nodded at Dakoda and turned his attention back to Hope. She had only slightly changed up her attire. Her tank top was now a midriff, exposing her flat abdomen. Her sunglasses, previously red, were now ebony. The feline's figure remained bent over one of the tables, aiming the cue at a striped ball. She managed to bounce the cue ball over the eight ball and hit the stripped ball into the pocket along with another striped ball. The crowd cheered and laughed at the guy she was playing against.

"...that can't be. I can't be that lucky today..." thought the porcupine. He crossed his arms, mildly intrigued by how she played the game.

Hope leaned against the wall with her pool cue, watching the otter take his turn. A look of boredom and disinterest was on her face as she watched the other male take his turn. He would miss his shot, having the cue ball hit the wall and no other balls.

"Eh, I'm having an off day anyway." said the otter.

"Keep making excuses and someone in here will believe you."

"Come on girl, loosen up. It's just a game. You lose and you'll be playing with MY pool cue all night."

She walked over, ignoring his remark before chalking up her pole.

"And I'll break it in half just as easily, do you really want that?" She said, taking a quick sip from her drink before taking her turn.

Dakoda turned his head back to Arrow. "Impressed?"

"Mildly." said Arrow. "What's her name?"

"Hope Markey. And yes, I tried looking her up today and got nothing."

Arrow pulled out his badge. "Being the Red Agent has its perks. You'll see."

The fiery porcupine started typing in Hope's name on the keypad. He then moved the badge down and pointed it at Hope, having her scanned to see if there were any records for her. The blue cat leaned over the table, aiming her last shot.

"I bet you I can hit the cue ball off the top of the table and make my last stripper hit in the side pocket." She said to the otter.

The man laughed. "Okay you have to be drunk. NO ONE can do that." The crowd chuckled and agreed with Jon.

"He DOES have a point." said Dakoda, looking at Arrow. "That's a pro shot, almost impossible to hit."

Arrow turned his head to Dakoda. "I've seen my fair share of impossibilities."

Leaning over the table with the pool cue aimed on the cue ball, the feline smirked. "Prepare to have your jaws drop."

With one shot, the cue ball rocketed off the top, hitting the last stripe ball into the side pocket. The crowd fell silent for a moment.

"…whoa." Those were the only words that the wolf could say.

"Now I think that's a game." Said Hope with a coy smirk, placing her pool cue on the table to walk over to the bar.

Both Arrow and Dakoda had watched the shot in its entirety. Arrow's mindset was like the other males. No one could pull off a shot like that. And no one needed to be an expert on the subject to know that. Yet the shot was executed and she simply sauntered off like it was an everyday occasion for her. Looking down to his badge, the screen showed NO RECORDS. Arrow was speechless; he looked to Dakoda before looking back at Hope.

"…you're at a loss for words." said Dakoda. "That's new."

"How long has she been here?" asked the porcupine.

"Only a week or so. Why don't you meet her? She seems nice."

Arrow closed his badge and put it away in his vest. "Something seems off."

"What do you mean? One of your vibes again?"

Arrow nodded and fixed his vest, looking down at Hope. She sat on a bar stool near the end of the counter and the tender had given her a Sprite. Looking around for a moment, Arrow walked past Dakoda to the staircase. Walking down the staircase, he kept to the shadows and motioned to the bartender to come over, whispering something in his ear before waiting for the right moment to sit by Hope. He would order his preferred drink, a scotch on the rocks. Hope finished her drink as the bartender placed a margarita with a small glass of water in front of her.

"Excuse me miss, Mr. Lite bought this for you." Said the bartender.

"If it's from the otter, I don't care." Said the cat, quietly.

Hope looked to the bartender who motioned his head towards Arrow. Hope turned to see Arrow right next to her. The porcupine looked straight ahead of him, focused on a part of the wall as he took a sip of his drink, a blank expression on his face.

"You're a hard person to find." Said Arrow.

Her eyebrow rose up. "You've been looking for me? What for?"

"I have my reasons. Think of that drink as a thank you."

"Hmph." She took a sip of her drink. "So why did you disappear like that when I was trying to talk to you?"

"Let's just say I'm good with the vanishing act."

"Hm. I didn't expect you to be a drinking type of guy."

"Expectations have a way with surprising people." He said, taking another sip.

Taking a sip from her water, the feline nodded. "I suppose so. I think I have a right to know why someone is looking for me."

"You do."

There was silence once more.

"So mister—"

"Arrow." He said. "Just Arrow."

"Sorry, Arrow. Why are you looking for me? I've only been in the city for a week." Her ears would go back. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Believe me, if you had, we wouldn't be having this conversation. We'd be having it with a pair of figurative bars separating us." He said this all blankly, not giving her eye contact just yet.

The feline smirked. "Touché." She took a sip of her margarita then looked to him once more. "Are you a cop, Arrow?"

" ...something like that."

"So I take it you're not gonna tell me why you have been tracking me down?"

"The people I work for have expressed interest in you."

Her expression changed from interest to confusion. "I haven't done anything, how could they be interested in me?"

"They heard about you fighting those creatures down in the subway."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I've never fought any creatures in my life."

"You're not a very good liar." She said, cutting the cat off. "Security footage down in the tunnels shows different, chica."

Now she was no longer confused or interested. NOW she was slowly growing angry. "What do you want from me? Just answer me that and leave me alone."

Before Arrow could finish, the foundation of the building suddenly shook from a nearby explosion, the power going out.

"This is what I was trying to get away from..." she grumbled.

Arrow quickly gripped to the counter, standing his ground as he looked to Dakoda and nodded. The sounds of paws on the ground and growling were heard from outside.

Hope got off the stool, looking out the window. "Oh no…those can't be the same ones I've fought. Why are they following me?"

Thinking for a moment, Arrow looked over to Hope. "DON'T follow me. "

Arrow rushed over to Dakoda, tapping his shoulder, before racing out the door. The cat's ears went back and she quickly followed Dakoda. The silver wolf saw this and tried to stop her but Hope dashed past him, running outside and staying to the shadows. As Arrow stepped out into the darkness, he could make out two Rezecos nibbling on the power lines and street lamps.

"Hey!" He yelled to get their attention. "Didn't you learn your lesson the last time?"

Hope watched from the shadows as another Rezeco, one more humanoid, appear on the street, carrying a sword. Her appearance was slender with a cloak and hood to cover most of her figure. Her eyes were a pure pale yellow with noticeable markings on her face, neck, and chest.

"Trayna…" mumbled Dakoda.

"Leave us be, Agent Arrow..." hissed Trayna. "We need...to feast."

"Feast where we put you." said Arrow, slowly removing his badge. "Neither of us want this to escalate where it doesn't need to go, Trayna."

"You already have by interfering." She said.

Raising his badge up, the porcupine stood triumphant. "Then I'm placing you three under arrest for tampering with the city's electricity for both in the subway AND here by the bar. One warning. Stand down and return or I WILL use action."

"Go and try, flamed one..." said the Rezeco female. But it will do you no use against our powers!"

"Oh yea? Try me." He thrust his badge to the side, then forward. "SPB! EMERGENCY!"

Hope's eyes widened at the sight as Arrow transformed into the red robot she saw in the subways. Dakoda comes up from behind her to try and bring her into the bar but to no avail. She breaks free and jumps off of him onto the balcony.

"Damn cat…" mumbled Dakoda to himself.

Arrow stretched out his arms and his two discs appeared but as they were still made of fire, he brought them together and stretched them out, creating a sword: The Flambard. The two little Rezecos raced away and Trayna attempted to flee the scene.

"You handle those two," said Arrow to Dakoda. "Leave Trayna to me."

"On it!" He replied, drawing his blaster to race away.

And with wide eyes…Hope could only watch the fight unfold before her eyes.

"I should have known." she said.

The fight ensued with Trayna attempting to run but Arrow was quick to catch up, blocking her path. The two began to clash blade against blade. Arrow aimed a high kick that knocked Trayna back and he shot out a burst of fire that narrowly missed. Leaping back, Trayna aimed slash after slash that Arrow blocked as well, leaping over with a flip, kicking her in the back and landing on his feet. Trayna was resilient and leapt back, aiming a cleaving slash that sent an energy wave that the porcupine leapt and dodged, rushing in to hit a strong slice on the chest. This caused Trayna to skid back and drop to her knee.

"Hah...not bad Agent, but is that all you have!?" yelled Trayna to the porcupine.

Rushing in, Arrow hit a dropkick on Trayna. Drawing his blaster, he turns the dial on it but Trayna threw a thunderbolt that disarmed him. She followed it up with another blast that sends Arrow flying backwards. While Hope watched, she looks to Dakoda who is handling the two Rezecos with relative ease. He flipped in midair to dodge one Rezeco and aimed his blaster to shoot the other Rezeco dead center. Dakoda paused, watching the two before hitting a side kick to the first Rezeco and a series of punches to the other Rezeco before drawing his blaster. The silver wolf shot out a containment blast from his blaster that engulfed a Rezeco and turned it into a card. The second Rezeco backed up as Dakoda charged up another shot. However, this Rezeco zipped forward and tackled down the wolf, pinning him down. Hope watched this and charged up a thunderbolt, shooting it down to stun the Rezeco on Dakoda. Using this as a distraction, the wolf shot off another containment blast that captured the second Rezeco.

Dakoda looked up to the balcony to see Hope. "Thanks!"

Hope nodded then looked back to Arrow. "I can't believe that jerk lied to me…" Her ears went back out of annoyance but she would not deny how amazed she was.

Trayna chuckled lightly and stalked Arrow as he arose. She delivered a spin kick and a punch but Arrow retaliated by ramming his shoulder into Trayna's gut. With Trayna on the ground, Arrow hit rough punch after punch before she flipped him off. With Arrow rolling off, he dashes in with a fiery fist that scorched the side of her face. Growling under her breath, she stopped another punch from the porcupine and caught him by the throat. With tremendous strength, Tranya suddenly threw Arrow up, leaping as well to hit a kick that sends Arrow through some trash cans.

"Arrow!" yelled Dakoda.

Dakoda rushed over to Arrow, but Trayna, turning to see this and giggling, raised her arm up to shoot out electricity. The bolt struck the ground making Dakoda stumble. Trayna wasted no time at all with rushing in for several sword slices and then a swift thrust kick that knocked away Dakoda.

"So pitiful." Laughed Trayna.

Despite falling back, Dakoda got right back up. "Come on, I can take more hits! You hit like a girl!"

Right as the wolf finished, Trayna leapt in with a corkscrew like kick, landing on her feet. She aimed a few rough uppercuts, a backhanded slice from her sword, and finished it up by throwing Dakoda into a car. Before Trayna finished Dakoda off, she was hit with a fireball. The Rezeco turned around and growled at the fiery porcupine.

"You just don't know when to quit do you?" growled the Rezeco.

Standing proud, he chuckled. "Quitting isn't an option. You started this; you should have known I'd be here to stop you."

"Your persistence amuses me." She giggled and raised her sword, pointing it at him.

With Dakoda out of commission for the moment, Hope surveyed the scene with static charging in both her hands.

"This is not going to end well." Hope remarked.

Quickly, Arrow shot out a fireball at the street light to darken the area. He rushed in hitting a high knee to her face with his flames outlining his moves, landing on the ground to draw his blaster. However, Trayna was smart enough to see this and shot out a thunder bolt that made the blaster explode. Arrow saw this and froze in horror.

"Boys and their toys" chuckled Trayna. "…my turn."

Lowering her sword, the Rezeco shot out an arch of electricity that struck Arrow, making his suit fizzle from the electrocuting. Hope jumped off of the balcony and landed on the ground, running to Dakoda's side unnoticed. She moved the wolf's body against the wall and checked him quickly before looking down at his blaster. The electrocution caused sparks to shoot out from Arrow's suit and he dropped to his knees, fizzling from the shock and unable to move from the paralysis. Without wasting any more time, Hope grabbed Dakoda's blaster and aimed it at Trayn..

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" yelled Hope

As Trayna walked over with her sword held up, Hope's voice made her stop. She chose not to turn around though, deeming the voice not worth her time.

"Learn from example stranger or I shall do the same to you!" she said. Unfortunately she didn't realize how close Hope was.

"Game over, bitch!" said Hope, smirking as she put on her sunglasses.

Adding some of her blue lightning to the blaster, she turned the dial on it and it shot out a containment blast. Trayna's eyes, glowing darkness, widened and before she could strike Arrow again, the blast struck her. She screamed out as the blast enveloped her and turned her into a card. Arrow stared at the card and slowly reached for it, still visibly in pain. Placing the blaster on the ground, Hope walked over to Arrow.

"Moving will make it worse Arrow." said Hope.

Behind the visor, Arrow's vision is blurry. He slowly reached out and puts his fingers on the card to pick it up. Dakoda finally got up, using the wall for support, and staggered over to Arrow.

"Arrow man, you gonna be ok?" asked the wolf. "Do you wanna to go to HQ to get attention?

"I-I'm fine!" Arrow replied, slowly getting to his feet before dropping back to a knee, dropping the card in the process.

Dakoda gently helped up Arrow and put an arm around the porcupine for balance. Hope looked down and picked up the containment card, slipping it into her pocket. With the aide of Dakoda, Arrow was up to his feet. The porcupine moved away and put his hands on a car, breathing long and slow. He whispered something as the suit dematerialized off of him. He had to gently touch his head to make sure there was no bleeding. Hope began to walk away but not before stopping by Arrow, whispering into his ear.

"Call us even now."

~!~!~

High up on one of the rooftops nearby were two figures. On the edge of the roof on the stone was a male snow leopard with a sniper rifle. Donned in a dark green leather jacket, dark pants and strange goggles covering his eyes, he kept his scope down on the aftermath of the fight. On the roof was a door leading downstairs and leaning against is a female snow leopard. This one wore a skin tight black jumpsuit with yellow wristbands and a mask over her eyes that had white irises where the eyeholes would be.)

"Do you always have to view everything from a scope, Larcen?" said the female.

The one called Larcen turned his head. "All about perspective, sis."

"Just as long as you don't shoot him. We need him alive."

"Well you're the one with more patience then me Saphira and honestly, I'm feeling a little trigger happy."

"That's not how we roll. You KNOW that." said Saphira, walking over quietly, looking down at the scene. "So…THAT'S Arrow."

"One and only. And he got his ass handed to him but…"

"But?"

He paused. "…I don't know what HE sees in Arrow. "

"Arrow knows how to fight at least." Said Saphira. "What about that cat?"

"She's unimportant. Our mission is only regarding the porcupine." (He sighed and pulled the rifle away, standing up to head by the door. "How long till we strike?"

"When he says so and IF he says so." She said, casually walking forward, stopping by the door. "You know what we need to do."

"Do you?"

She paused for a moment. "…when the game changes you change the rules. That's the first thing you taught me, big brother." The female smirked lightly. "Come on. We have a job to do."

Stepping through the door first, Larcen was followed by Saphira as they headed downstairs.

~!~

Hope returned home later that night and headed straight to bed. She had already seen enough excitement for one day. The events ran through her head many times, still pondering if what had happened was truly real or an elaborate illusion. Maybe she would awaken the next morning and things would be normal, she thought. The following day, all Hope could think about was that mysterious porcupine, the wolf, those mysterious creatures, and the card she had taken from the scene. Her co-workers at the community center had noted she seemed out of it and distracted during her volunteer work. There was very little to do so she decided to head home sick after collecting her check for the week. The subway was under repair and the feline was no fan of public transportation. She needed the exercise so she chose to walk home to her apartment complex. The door opened to the 3 room apartment with the feline walking through, pulling down the hood on her black zip up hoody. The same look of boredom from Jenga's remained on her face while she deposited her keys, wallet, Mp3 Player, and phone in the little cup on the kitchen counter. For the rest of the night she remained on the internet balancing looking up information on the red porcupine as well as looking up job information. With her music turned down to a low level, she leaned back in her seat and relaxed. However, she shivered lightly and turned to the source of the breeze, the open door by the balcony. Her ears went back as she sat up and took the card laying by the laptop into her pocket. She slowly got up and walked to the balcony door, closing it and locking it before charging her hand with static.

"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you. " A voice said.

The feline jumped up suddenly, clearly freaked out. The static pulsing in her hand turned into a ball of lightning. She was ready for anything. But how long had the window even been opened? There was no way that anyone could have been in her apartment this entire time. At least that was what she had originally thought.

"I'm surprised." continued Arrow. "For someone that thinks quickly on their feet, you seem intelligent; perhaps more so than most. But you may have missed one or two minor details to the bigger picture."

"And what might that be?" she said. "Show yourself!"

"I've been in this room for a long time, Hope. You just haven't been able to see me...yet."

The cat was frozen, not out of fear but confusion. "Because that's not creepy at all... wait..." She thought for a moment. "Arrow?"

What Hope had failed to notice was Arrow leaning against the wall of the main living room, casually, with his trademark attire on. However this time he wore a weird necklace with a small strip of metal on it.

"Look closer." He said. 'I'm not hard to find. Your mind just isn't letting you see it."

"How long have you been there? Let alone how did you get in here?" She asked, walking over to gently sit down on the couch.

Arrow would slowly walk to the door frame and stay there, looking straight at the cat.

"Focus. Look to the doorframe. Listen to your mind. Something is there that you KNOW is there but can't see."

"Great, I've gone mad... "sighed the cat.

"No. I thought the same thing once." he said. "I'll explain in a moment. Just focus. Mostly everyone I know can pass this."

"If you say so."

Looking to the door, she took in a deep breath, closing her eyes and then opening them. She tilted her head and saw nothing until a figure, a silhouette, began to form. Confused at first, she blinked and the figure suddenly turned into Arrow. She yelped and pressed herself against the couch.

"Low level perception filter." He said. "It creates a telepathic field around the user and misdirects the senses."

"Like…invisibility?"

"Similar to that, yes. Certain agents wear them to blend in with their surroundings. BUT it tricks the mind into thinking there's nothing there. However…some minds can tell there is something there but they don't want to say. It's weird, I know. All some people need to do is focus hard enough and they can break past the filter."

"Oh. I see."

Once more, there was a pause between the two of them.

"You have something that belongs to me." Said Arrow.

"What do you mean? I have nothing of yours. I'm the one that made her into that trading card."

"...you used a SPB Blaster to do so. Not many know how to use those and yet you just picked it up and used it?"

"I suppose I'm familiar with guns.' She blinked then rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry…blasters?"

"I could charge you with stealing SPB property and tampering with equipment as well albeit though you had good intentions." He said, his arms remained crossed though. "There aren't many who would disregard judgments like that to save someone's life."

"Thanks, I suppose."

He walked over slowly to the couch. "Don't worry, I'm unarmed." He sat down. "So…there are no records. No past and nothing on a mysterious little blue cat who knows how to play pool and can control electricity."

"You flatter me, sir. But I'm not a pro. Yes, I'm good at pool but I don't have any criminal records. I've never done jail time, not even a speeding ticket. Some people used to call me goodie-two-shoes back home. What brings you to my home, stalker?"

"You live in the same complex as me."

"…well that's convenient."

"I came here to give you answers to a few questions you may be having. Answers I didn't have the chance to give back at the bar."

The cat's ears twitched. "Well for starters: why were you following me?"

"I said before, the people I work for expressed interest in you after seeing how you fight and you've shown that on two occasions."

"So is this a recruiting program?"

"I work for an elite police force codenamed Space Patrol beta. We-...well, I specialize in monitoring criminal activity and putting things back in place should things get hairy." He made a light salute. "I am Commander Arrow Jayson Lite, Space Patrol Beta Red Agent. "

"Arrow. Right. So something like what happened tonight with her?" She said, taking out the card from her pocket. "You work with problems like her?"

"Her name is Trayna." he started. "She is one of the 3 leaders of the Rezecos, creatures that require electricity to survive. We reached an agreement with the Rezecos to keep them in a sealed district with a steady supply of electricity."

"I see." She looked at the card and then slowly handed it to him. "Here, I don't want it. But I figured if I took it, I'd find you again."

Taking it, he pocketed the card. "Thank you. But, that's not the MAIN reason why I'm here."

"Oh? So what is the real reason? No more beating around the bush."

"My commanding officer asked I bring you in so he can see your powers first hand. He claims I need a partner, which I beg to differ on, but he makes valid points in that things are getting tougher for me, as evident by tonight. So, logically...I need a partner."

Her tail began to sway in excitement. "And you want me to be your partner?"

"I don't WANT a partner...but it is clear I need one. You do have some skills that are full of potential, so on behalf of my commanding officer, General Silas, I ask of you to come to Space Patrol Beta for testing and to take the Agent Entrance Exam."

"You do house calls often?" she asked.

"You're the first."

"I'm flattered. I'll think about it."

Rising up his wrist watch, he was about to press a button on the side. "Your choice."

"Wait!"

He looked up at her "…yes?"

"I'll go with you as long as I don't end up one of the backup generators."

"What do you mean?"

Sighing, she stretched out her hand which caused sparks to fly. "With this power, I could power a 50 floor tower."

"...I'm sure we can find something for you. I'll give you the weekend to think about this and if you wish to show up, come by 2 in the afternoon."

"Wait. Before you go, where is Space Patrol Beta?"

"It's the big building on 87th. You can't miss it. (He dug into his pocket and tosses her an access card): Here, you'll need this. It's an access card.

She caught it. "Thanks. See you then?"

"Count on it."

Arrow pressed a button on his wrist watch and teleported away. Looking down at the card, Hope pocketed it and went back to her laptop, sitting down in front of it. She sat there for a few moments before she glided her fingers on the keyboard and then closed it, heading straight to the comfort of her warm bed.


	2. Ember

**SPACE PATROL BETA: MISSION ZERO  
CHAPTER 2: Ember  
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY ZAK KAYES AND JULIE WELCH****  
****CHARACTERS BELONG TO SASSYNEKOBABYGURL830**

What had only been two days seemed like an eternity for Hope Markey. Saturday had been an absolute bore and she wished she was able to find more enjoyment in her volunteer work. But to her surprise, she was STILL thinking of the events of the night before. The night the Rezecos had attacked not once but twice; the day she met that mysterious porcupine from Space Patrol Beta. Her research had left her with many dead ends and as persistent as she was, a dead end was a dead end. And there was the offer, the offer she had been thinking about all weekend. It was a very tempting offer but one she seriously needed to think on. Exactly what was so important in her life for her to pass this chance up? It was as clear as the sky: working volunteer to pay her rent or protecting the city? She had made her choice.

The streets of Payton City were unusually quiet on the following Monday afternoon. The feline walked casually along the sidewalk to the looming building in the near distance. Not much had changed from her attire. There was still the jean jacket and faded jeans but there was also the matching blue tank top. If anyone didn't know any better, this cat had a love for the color blue. But soon, she arrived in the courtyard before the headquarters of Space Patrol Beta. Hope stood before the doors of the building, admiring its black granite outer design. Her eyes turned to some of the cameras around the doors and then to the people heading in and out of the building. The ones that went in swiped their cards on a scanner, permitting their entry. Looking around, Hope walked up to the door and took a deep breath before taking out the card given to her by Arrow and swiping it on the scanner with a buzz signifying her actions.

"Here goes nothing." the cat thought to herself before taking a deep breath, opening the door and stepping through.

The inside of the building was massive with white pillars and escalators around heading upstairs and down. There were a few benches and elevators in the main lobby and in the middle stood a statue with the logo of SPB on a shield. Leaning by the statue was a familiar looking wolf, Dakoda, who spotted Hope and began to walk over to her.

"Afternoon, miss." he said. "Find your way here alright?"

Hope's eyes met the wolves and smiled lightly. "A big tower like this wasn't hard too hard to find."

"Had a good weekend?"

She nodded. "Yeah, yourself?"

"I'd say so." said Dakoda with a playful smirk. "I made the most of it; lifting weights, sparring, stopping a few criminals, relaxing at home with a good book, and a few drinks with a few other friends of mine. That's a usual weekend for me."

"Sounds like you had more fun than me." Hope said, rubbing the back of her head with a faint giggle and a gentle smile.

"It's a shame then...I should have asked you for some drinks." he flashed a confident grin and extended a big paw to her. "Name's Dakoda Weston, Special Ops Captain. I'm in charge of street patrols and disturbances."

She took his paw and shook it with a soft smile. "I'm not a big drinker though. Call me Hope. But I'm sure you know it from being at that billiards bar so much."

"That I do." The wolf said with a pleasant smirk before leaning his head down and her hand up to meet with a kiss on the top of her hand. "Nice to meet you Hope Markey."

"Don't you have something to do besides flirting?" said a voice.

Dakoda turned to see Arrow walking in with his usual attire but instead of his vest was a zipped up hoody. His hands remained in the hoody pockets with a blank expression on his face. Judging by his voice, he was slightly irritated.

"I was just saying hello." said Dakoda rather defensively.

"For you, that's flirting." said Arrow.

"I don't mind. Really." giggled Hope. "He's cute."

"Eh...true, somewhat." said Dakoda, looking to Hope with a smile. "Catch ya around, Hope. Good luck."

Arrow watched Dakoda walk away to the escalators before he turned his attention to Hope. She giggled to herself while waving goodbye to the wolf.

"Hello." Arrow said to her.

"Hello Arrow."

The porcupine turned to his side. "Follow me."

"Right."

Arrow walked towards one of the elevators and swiped a card by the elevator that brought the elevator to him. She followed behind him, placing her card in her pocket as she continued to look around. The elevator doors opened up and he stepped through, placing his hand on a pad that opened up to scan his hand.

"Red Agent: Arrow Lite, acknowledged." said a voice from the elevator intercom.

"Do I need to do that?" asked Hope.

"No." he said, the doors closing behind her. "Vault."

The elevator intercom beeped in acknowledgement.

"...I know you have a lot of questions but I'm not allowed to give you answers to EVERYTHING." started Arrow. "You'll have to earn that."

"Figured as much." she said, her ears laid back. "One question though. Am I assigned weapons?"

"You'll need a SPB Containment Blaster. Other blasters are optional as well as melee weapons. Besides that, you're free to have your own custom secondary weapons."

"That's what I was hoping you would say." she said with a smirk. "Should I be warned of your boss?"

"Warned?" he thought. "He's a nice guy; a bit stern though but he needs to be to set an example."

"I have dealt with people like that before. Nothing I can't handle."

"Two nights ago was just a small taste of what we deal with. You can still turn back. No one will think less of you."

"Nope, I got no one to go back home to. I might as well make myself useful in this city."

"...good."

The elevator doors opened up and they both stepped onto a platform. There were many bookcases around that were separated by a long walkway. There were staircases heading down to the second part of the room where more cases holding cards were. Arrow walked along the walkway and stopped, leaning against the railing halfway.

"This is our Vault." said Arrow. "Two hundred and ninety three criminals captured."

"You mean the cards?" asked Hope, looking around.

Arrow nodded. "Trayna's card is somewhere down there. Every criminal I've caught is right here. There's been a fair share of common criminals to murderers to sadists to even monsters; hell we even caught a few gargoyles and paranormal spirits but it is HERE where they are kept as they serve their time. There are those who aren't...that fortunate."

"I wonder where my card went?" said Hope, chuckling quietly. "So are the ones who are cards for life put in a special holding point?"

"...time passes differentially in those cards. It's sort of like a different dimension." said Arrow. "I can't really explain it very well. But...it's like this. A minimum punishment is two days. However, in there, it's four. Time is doubled in there. The highest we've gone is twenty years. In there, it would be a life sentence. Those that break out or are captured again are meant with a higher sentence but...very rarely is that the case. Only once have I actually been asked to actually KILL a criminal. We still do have the death penalty for those who do the most extreme crimes. If Trayna breaks out again, I will have no choice but to eliminate her."

Hope blinked a look of confusion on her face. "Break out? How do they break out of a card, may I ask?"

"IF the electrical grid around the containment grid is compromised, the barrier around the card can be weakened. They can slip through. But often times, we are ready."

"I see. So every time, the Rezecos mess with the power grids in the city, it affects the cards?"

"Yes. But the Rezecos have never attacked our base. And I highly doubt they will break their deal to do so unless threatened otherwise."

Arrow began to walk over to the main computer screen with a large keypad in front of it. Hope followed quickly behind.

"Hm... I wonder what it is like in a card?" she asked.

"...it isn't pleasant."

"It must be lonely. I would hate to be put in a card."

He took in a breath before looking up at the screen. "It's like you're just sitting in a cozy little prison, one little room. It's like time lasts forever...and you have nothing to do. And it's nothing like prison. It's just one room, I'm not even sure if they're connected."

"Did they put you in a card for a few days as a test or something? To become an agent?"

"…you could say that. *he said, before turning around to head back to the elevator.

Hope followed behind. Had she hit a nerve? She hoped she hadn't. Reaching the elevator, Arrow swiped his card to call the elevator and stepped through with Hope.

"So what's next on the agenda Arrow?" she asked.

"Evan's Sector or as he calls it," he pressed a button on the elevator. "Sector E."

The beep acknowledged and the elevator began to move up.

"So…who's Evan?" asked Hope.

"Evan's our tech guy. He designed the armor, the Badges, and the Containment Blasters."

"Does that mean if I pass my tests here I can get a robot suit like yours?"

"Yes but I'll let Evan do the explaining. What I can tell you is that there are 6 suits." He turned his head to look at her. "There's Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, Black, and White."

"And you're the Red Agent." She said. "I thought you were talking about Pokemon for a moment."

The feline chuckled lightly but Arrow ended up chuckling along with as well. Hope was about to say something but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator.

The elevator doors opened to a wide spanning room with people testing weapons and a section of the room enclosed with the words "Gun Course" written on the wall. The ceiling was big with a big room on the other side of the hall with a see through glass wall. In this room was an otter typing away on a keyboard, checking a few screens around him. Next to him was General Silas, watching the screens closely.

"So do we have a status report on SPB Silver?" asked the general.

Evan sighed before leaning back in the chair. "We have the usual problems. It doesn't have a strong enough power source to keep the suit on. I still need help designing the look of it as well. It can't be the same thing as the others."

"What about the other suits?"

"What about them?" Evan thought for a moment. "Oh. Black and Blue are fully operational but Green and Yellow were damaged in the latest test. Shields were unresponsive and they took some heavy damage."

"Better some suits active then none." said Silas as he looked to see Arrow and Hope approaching. "However you might be in luck today."

Silas patted Evan's shoulder before leaving the room, heading down the stairs. Evan followed behind quickly, fixing his glasses with his hands in his pockets.

"So you're the one from the subways." said Silas to Hope. "I must say, your powers are impressive."

"Thank you, sir." She replied with a twitch of her right ear.

"General Gerald Silas, Commanding Officer of Space Patrol Beta." the bear said while he extended his paw. "Should things be in your favor today, you will be working for me."

Evan appeared from behind with his hand extended as well. "I'm Evan Shippen, Chief Technician, Weapons Designer, and creator of the badges, suits, and security system of Space Patrol Beta."

Hope shook Silas' hand and then Evan's. "I'm Hope Markey; I look forward to working for Space Patrol Beta, sir."

"We need all the help we can get." the bear said.

"I actually did have a question about the suits?" said Hope.

"What do you wanna know?" asked Evan.

"How did you come up with them?" the feline asked.

"Well you'd be surprised what you can be inspired by." chuckled the otter. "Dakoda's the one who gave me the idea though; I just helped bring them to life. They are called the Advanced Combat Armor, ACA. We just call them suits for short. I wanted to call it the Ranger Program but Dakoda thought it didn't fit."

"That and you've been reading too many comic books, Evan." said Arrow with a smirk.

"And what about all the voice commands?" asked Hope.

"You mean SPB Emergency?" said Evan. "Oh. Eh, I just thought it sounded cool. Voice commands are cool, right?"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." said Silas to himself.

"Follow me. *said Evan to Hope, walking over to where the gun course was with a wall showing various guns and blades.

Hope followed closely and nodded her head lightly at the weapons on the wall. They ranged from shotguns to pistols to grenade launchers to knives and batons.

"The first part of your Exam is target practice, scoring points on the Gun Course and the final part, Advanced Combat Training" started Arrow. "Your points are added up and separated into sets of thirty, forty, and thirty for a grand total of one-hundred. You'll need at least eighty points to pass."

"Arrow's got a pretty high record, ninety-four points." said Evan.

"I don't want to brag on it but it wasn't easy." the porcupine noted.

"I am not very familiar with guns to be honest, sir." said Hope, admiring the blades before turning her head back to Silas. "But I am a fast learner."

"Even if you do not pass, I'm sure you will do fine as an officer in the Special Ops department." Silas said with a nod.

"...she'll pass." said Arrow, looking to Hope then to Silas. "...I have confidence that she will, sir."

"I watched the tape of your fight in the subway." said the general. "You have talent and a good sense of control. And while I may not be the biggest fan of bucking authority, you are willing to adapt to some situations."

"Thank you, sir. My parents taught me to adapt to any surroundings no matter how strange." Hope gave him a soft giggle.

"There IS raw potential for you to become an Agent." started Arrow. "But, protocol first. We need to see what you are capable of."

Evan nodded and went to the standing console by the gun course, typing a few things in.

"This is the first part of the exam." said the otter. "You'll be required to test out three different gun styles: Pistol Singlers, Shotgun Blitzers, and Assault Vipers."

"Alright, which one is first?" asked Hope.

Evan pressed a button and the doors opened.

"Find out for yourself." said Arrow.

Hope nodded and walked through the door into the room, the door closing behind. The interior of the room was similar to that of a container with a door on the other side of the room. There were indents in the ground for thin panels to appear out of. On the table was a white blaster, similar to that of a simple pistol. Hope picked up the blaster remembering how she used it the first time and felt the side. She knew deep down she was more accustomed to melee weapons then guns. Two targets popped up and then shuffled in a rhythm, sort of like whack-a-mole machine. Hope saw this and watched before a ding from the intercom in the room was heard, signaling the beginning of the course. There was a brief silence in the room before the targets began their rhythm of popping up and back down. Hope smirked as she began to fire at the targets, watching each slot with her ears straight up.

"She's got good reflexes." said Evan to Arrow.

"Cats are naturally born with them." he said. "Don't forget their speed."

Hope kept her focus on the targets, finishing them in less than a minute. The targets had tried to switch up rhythm but the feline's reaction time kept her on her toes. Arrow, Evan, and Silas watched this as her points racked up.

"Twenty-eight out of thirty." said Silas through the intercom. "Advance to the next room."

"I had a feeling I missed two." Hope said to herself, putting down the blaster.

The next room was different with a table in the middle of the room, rails all around, like a circle of sorts. The lights had been dimmed as well; a different blaster was on the table, one more like a shotgun. Looking around, Hope picked up the shotgun and held it with both hands. Suddenly a target popped up, bigger than the others. Without wasting time, the feline cocked the Blitzer and shot the target, shattering it into pieces. Another showed up but this target was armed with a little laser pistol. The process repeated but in a different pattern: One, two, pause, one, two, pause. They kept popping up all around Hope. All she had were the sounds of them popping up and down. Hope dodged the bolts best as she could and jumped into the air out of the circle, unloading a whole clip into the remaining targets before the round ended.

"Thirty-seven out of forty." said Evan's voice from the intercom. "Great so far, Hope!"

"Thank you, sir." Hope nodded and put down the Blitzer on the table before thinking to herself. "Three less targets then before; focus!"

The final room was similar to the first course but there were rails on the walls AND the ceiling. Three targets popped up and Hope looked to the table in the middle with the Viper laying. Hope knew what to do and dashed forward, grabbing the gun and charging it up. She easily zapped the three targets and her ears were fully up in alert. As if the adrenalin wasn't kicking before, it surely was now. The rhythm became distorted and the targets began turning up everywhere. ALL of them were armed with laser bolts and Hope had a hell of time dodging them and keeping her focus on every target. But Hope was ready. Not only did she have the Viper, she had her lightning and once a clip ran out on the Viper, Hope charged up both her hands and began shooting rapid lightning bolts that struck the targets around. She charged up static in her hands and slammed her fist on the ground, creating a pulse that shattered the rest of the targets. There was silence before the intercom beeped.

"…thirty out of thirty." said Arrow. "We'll meet you back at the entrance."

Hope nodded and looked at the Viper then her still sparking hands. "Yep, you still got it!"

The bear turned his attention to Arrow and Evan. "Your thoughts?"

"Well she's got a hell of a power, I'll say that." said Evan excitedly. "I'm all for her being on the team! What about you Arrow?"

Arrow said nothing, looking at the screen and the score, arms crossed. "She didn't exactly follow protocol. Should that count?"

Silas shook his head. "She did use them all. If I recall, you used the same tactics when you took the exam?"

"You're not even fazed that she broke your record?" said Evan to Arrow.

"Both of your points being?" asked the porcupine in an annoyed tone.

"Thought you might want to know?" asked the otter.

"By one point and besides, no one has ever gotten a full one hundred on it." said Arrow. "Not me, Dakoda, you, or even you Silas."

Hope walked back through the entrance, fixing her fur.

"Ninety-five out of one hundred." said Silas.

"Which basically means you passed." the otter added. "AND you beat Arrow's score."

Arrow sighed. "I don't see how that's such a big bragging right."

"With all due respect, I was raised not to brag if one was to beat another." said the cat. "It shows dishonesty and selfishness, at least that's what I believe. I am sure Arrow is one of the best fighters here. But thank you for telling me Mr. Evan-"

"Call me Evan or V; whatever works for you."

"You still have one more test to compete." said Silas. "Do you want a break before you begin?"

Hope nodded. "Yes. Can I just get a drink of water please?"

"If you wish." said Arrow.

"Thank you." said the feline. "Uh…where's the water fountain?"

Arrow pointed to the corner of the room and Hope quickly left to get a drink. The porcupine put his hands in his pockets and went towards the elevator. Hope quickly followed behind and nodded to Silas and Evan who went back to the room higher up in the hall. Arrow stepped into the elevator and Hope followed.

"Training Sector." said Arrow, starting the elevator. "That's Dakoda's department."

"Joy." said Hope with a smirk. "The flirter."

Silence fell in the elevator again.

"So…" the feline started, trying to clear the silence. "How did I do?"

"There was no doubt." The porcupine said. "And that's all that needs to be said, right?"

She nodded. "Right."

The elevator dinged once more and the porcupine and feline stepped out into the training area. There were blue mats all around with other people training and sparring. Dakoda stood at the back of the room with his back to the two, watching two officers spar and practice arm drags. He turned his head to see Arrow and Hope approaching and waved.

"So then, looks like you passed one part." said Dakoda.

"Sure did." said Hope with a smile.

"Good. So...this is the second to last part of your test. Pretty simple...even though it's called ADVANCED Combat Training."

"It's a little redundant, I think." noted Arrow.

Hope crossed her arms and nodded. "Whatever you got I can handle."

"Alright then." said Dakoda before smirking lightly. "Beat everyone in this room in less than 5 minutes."

The cat blinked. "…I'm sorry?"

"Minus me and Arrow of course." added the wolf. "Use whatever means necessary. " He tossed her two blasters. "Evan modified those for rapid fire shots. Both of those have ten containment blast shots and there are only about...twenty people here. It shouldn't be hard to do the math."

Some of the people in the room turned and a few got into stances. Many of them remembered the little beat down they got from Arrow on his first day. Hope's eyes widened when she caught both blasters and then turned to see the other people in the room.

"This is more like harassment." she said under her breath.

"I had to do the same thing." said Arrow, stepping back with Dakoda to watch. Evan and Silas watched from the cameras. "...unless you don't think you can handle twenty guys?"

"Rule number one about me: NEVER underestimate this cat." said the feline, putting away a blaster to charge her hand with static.

"You lose points if they touch you, for a reminder." said Dakoda, starting the time on his stopwatch.

Hope kept her ground, eyes darting around the room. This certainly wasn't the day she had been expecting but she knew what she needed to do. It wouldn't be easy but she was ready. Two stepped out from the twenty and one charged at Hope with a stiff punch. Hope stepped back to dodge the punch and then grabbed the outstretched arm, stepping forward to add a bit of static to her elbow, driving her elbow into his face, containing the guard with a blast. The second guard tried to charge in but Hope suddenly zipped forward and spun herself, hitting the guard in the gut with a kick followed with a roundhouse kick to the keeled over guard, knocking him back then shooting him. Three more guards rushed in with blasters of their own. Hope smirked and suddenly shocked all three of them at once with three strands of lightning, zipping forward to grab a guard and shock him through the leg, throwing him in the air to blast. The other two tried to ambush her but she rolled under them and drew the other blaster, shooting both of them at the same time.

"Five down…" she said to herself, watching closely.

Three more guards raced in and tried shooting Hope but she dodged each shot and zapped them, disarming them. With a blur, Hope raced in with a high knee to one of the guards and a back kick to the second. The third guard charged but the feline side stepped the third guard and then clotheslined him down, shooting all three in rapid succession. One guard tried to go for a cheap shot but Hope's ear flicked and she smacked the back of her blaster into his nose and back-flipped, driving her heel into the guard and shot him, flipping onto her feet.

"Nine down; she's got moves." said Dakoda, watching the action with a grin. "It's kind of like watching you."

"There is only one me, Dakoda." the porcupine replied blankly. "Often imitated, never duplicated."

Four quickly raced in and surrounded Hope. The feline smirked and suddenly leaped up, shooting lighting down in her place that stunned the four. Landing outside of the circle, Hope shot two of the four and jumped forward with a punch, knocking back a guard and a back elbow to the other, shooting both in succession. One guard drew his baton but before he could even move, he was shot. Hope stared at the last six. The other six dashed in without wasting any more time but Hope shot down a bolt on the ground to stun them. She shot two of the six and ran, using momentum to spin around the pole and clock an incoming guard, shooting him next. With only three left she watched them race at her and jumped up, hanging upside down; she unloaded the final blaster clip into the last three guards with ease. Dakoda pressed the stop button and looked down at the time, nodding his head.

"...four minutes and thirty three seconds." the wolf said.

Hope panted gently and sat down on the ground, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness. Arrow went over and helped the feline up.

"You alright?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yep, never better. Thank you."

"I'm impressed." said Dakoda. "You did a good job adapting. I'd say that's a pass and I don't see why you shouldn't deny the inevitable, Arrow."

Her ears twitched, looking over to Arrow. The porcupine looked to Dakoda then back to Hope before pulling out a badge with a blue line on it from the pockets of his hoody.

"Fair is fair." said Arrow.

Her ears perked up, taking it and looking it over. "What? You mean it?!"

Arrow nodded lightly. "That's your Beta Badge. If you can't tell, this badge is blue; for the Blue Agent."

The feline had a huge smile on her face, wagging her tail gently. "Thank you Arrow! I would give you a hug if I wasn't scared you would set me on fire."

"He's not a very touchy feely guy." said the wolf.

"I know, I had the feeling when I first met him." she replied then opened up the badge to look at it. "So, does this thing have a manual? If not, I want to press all the buttons!"

"Your Beta Badge serves as your communicator, morpher, database, and scanner." started Arrow. "It's also your tracking device in case things go south. You should be able to figure out the interface easily. Touch screen, audio cues, it's sort of like an iPhone."

"That means I can use one of those robot suits now, right?" she asked. "I wanna see how cool mine is!"

"You'll find out soon enough." said Dakoda. "You're not officially an Agent yet."

"I'm not?"

Arrow crossed his arms. "You have one final part to complete: A successful apprehension of a criminal as part of a field assignment."

Hope blinked. "Wait, I caught Trayna though."

"That was off the record." said Dakoda. "This is part of the test."

Arrow was about to say something but his badge started to beep. He opened the badge and raised it up.

"Good timing. What's up?" said Arrow.

"You might wanna get to the bank in C3." said Evan. "Something's tripped the silent alarm. It got cut off but it WAS tripped."

"Man, I'll play with you later." said Hope with her ears down before pocketing the badge.

"You gonna do anything about the cards?" asked Arrow to the wolf.

"Eh, I'll have Evan do it. You gonna take the SUV this time?"

"I'll fly." the porcupine looked to Hope. "You head with Dakoda. See you both there."

Arrow pressed a button on his badge and teleported away. Dakoda looked at Hope and began to head towards the door in a hurry, the feline following quickly behind.

"Come on, it's not far from here." said Dakoda.

"Right!"

~!~!~!~

Many passer-byers had actually bothered to stop by the bank in the C3 district. A few police cars had surrounded the bank on the four corners of the streets and some officers stood by the guard rails with citizens watching in confusion and intrigue. Two officers moved a guard rail away as a white SUV passed through to stop by the bank entrance. Out from the SUV came Dakoda and then Hope with a belt holding a containment blaster and rocket sneakers similar to Arrow's. Hope and Dakoda looked up to see Arrow land on the ground, walking over to them. Dakoda had a Blitzer strapped to his back and grabbed it, holding it casually.

"So what's going on?" asked Dakoda.

"Looks like a typical heist." said Arrow. "But the perimeter's secure. No one's getting out from there."

"Any idea what we are up against?" asked Hope.

Arrow shook his head. "It's just one person from the looks of it. Nothing from the security guards yet. They must be waiting for the right time to strike."

"Good thinking." said Dakoda. "What's the plan?"

"We have the numbers advantage but we can't let our guard down." said Arrow, heading to the door.

Peering through the glass by the door, Arrow spotted a figure all in black standing by the open vault. Duffel bags on the ground were quickly filled by two nervous bank workers. By the figure in the cloak were three men with stun guns more than likely 'borrowed" from the security guards. Arrow looked back at Hope and Dakoda and the wolf nodded, looking to the door and suddenly kicking it open. The figure in the black cloaked groaned and turned around only to yelp and jump back when a fireball landed in front of her. Her gaze went up to see Arrow, Dakoda, and Hope walking in.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to take things that aren't yours?" said Arrow, his containment blaster aimed towards the one in the black cloak. "SPB, you're under arrest."

"What do you want?" asked the figure.

"Well, I could really go for a hash-brown sandwich but we just wanted to stop by to see if you needed a hand." said the wolf with a playful fanged smirk, his blaster also aimed.

"Put your hands up!" said Hope, grabbing her containment blaster and aiming it straight at the figure.

Only moments later did the blaster suddenly fly out of Hope's hands and land on a pile of cash inside the large vault.

Hope blinked. "How did she-!?"

"I'm loaded with surprises, dear." said the figure. "I've heard a lot about you, Agent Arrow. Are you not able to handle me on your own? That would probably explain the mangy mutt and the street cat."

"You're one to talk." said Arrow. "Black cloaks are so last century."

The figure opened up her cloak to reveal a jumpsuit underneath and pulled back the hood to reveal the face of a snow leopard with gray fur and black spots.

"Hello kitty kitty…" said Dakoda with a snicker.

"Stop it." both Arrow and Hope chimed in unison.

The porcupine glanced to the snow leopard. "Might as well get the basic questions of the way: who are you and what do you want with the money?"

"I have my reasons, why should I tell you?"

Arrow crossed his arms. "Humor me. Resisting arrest won't end up well for you when we take you back."

The snow leopard glared. "I am not going back to your little tower in a card. I have my own mission to follow so pack up your team and move along spiky."

"Your name seems to spread far these days, Bumble Bee." remarked Dakoda. "But sorry, no can do on that."

"Bumble Bee?" asked Hope.

"An amateur thief called the Bumble Bee." the wolf said with a smirk. "You're not as secret as you thought to SPB, Saphira Kross."

Saphira blinked and rolled her eyes. "Amateur? As if a database can tell you everything you need to know. You know NOTHING about me and let's keep it that way."

"What do we do, Arrow?" asked Hope.

Arrow thought for a moment before lowering his blaster and made a motion for Dakoda and Hope to lower theirs. Hope lowered her blaster then looked into the vault then by another room in the vault marked "Special Possessions." Looking at Arrow, she reached into her pocket to take out a small key.

"Usually I'm not one for violence but maybe we can help you." said Arrow.

"You can't help me." giggled Saphira. "I'm a big girl. I don't need help from the likes of you."

"You'd be surprised." said Arrow. "So I'm going to leave it at this. We can talk this out peacefully or we can do this the hard way. We both know how that will end. So it's only a matter of time."

"I won't tell you again." said Saphira. "Leave."

Hope smirked and crossed her arms. "And why is that?"

"I have my own protection around here." the snow leopard replied, looking up. "Somewhere, one small move…" she snapped her fingers and giggled. "You're down."

"Sniper?" whispered Dakoda.

"…be on your guard." said Arrow, eyes wandering around.

Saphira chuckled and looked to the duffel bags. The bank workers were wise to leave. Arrow's eyes caught the incoming security guards trying to sneak in from behind and on the side. The porcupine tried to warn the guards but one aimed their gun at Saphira. She only smirked and raised her hand up. The guard was suddenly pulled into the air and flung into the wall. The men with Saphira shot their stun guns at the other two guards, neutralizing them.

"Guards will never learn." she said. "That's why you have to beat it into their skulls."

"Come on, one shot. Clear." said Dakoda, ready to make a move.

"No." said Arrow. "We need to play this in our favor."

Hope turned her head to Arrow. "Maybe one of us can be distraction? Getting her into the vault and the others shut the door and we fight within the vault so whatever she has up there won't hurt us?"

"...that could work." said the porcupine to Hope and then turning his attention to Saphira. "Whatever your powers may be, you shouldn't have to use them to rob banks. You could be better than that."

Saphira's eyes narrowed. "Like you would know? I can use my powers however the hell I want. Like so!"

Hope's sneakers suddenly turned on, sending her into the air and then right into the vault, crashing by one of the cells containing boxes. Saphira paid no attention to this as Hope looked to the door nearby and quickly zipped into it. Saphira was about to turn but Arrow raised his blaster and charged it.

"...that's strike 2." he said. "Wanna go for strike 3? Last chance: surrender or your time in your cell gets only longer."

Saphira chuckled and then raised her hands up, making them glow yellow and extend long claws.

"Kitty's got claws." she smirked. "And you DON'T intimidate me!"

"Any plans, fearless leader?" asked Dakoda.

Looking to the men who stared in confusion, Arrow looked back then to Dakoda. "...handle them. I'll handle her."

Dakoda smirked and cocked his Blitzer. "You got it!"

Arrow holstered his blaster and summoned up his chakrams, putting them together for his Flambard.

"You wouldn't hit a girl, would you?" asked the snow leopard nervously.

"I don't discriminate. A criminal is a criminal." said Arrow.

Arrow slowly walked forward and then threw a warning fireball that missed Saphira. Saphira turned and ran into the vault only to meet a shockwave from Hope that knocked her back into some money bags. Arrow and Saphira looked to see Hope, minus her jean jacket, with two sword sheaths strapped on her back, containing two katanas. Saphira looked to Hope then to Arrow.

"Me on the other hand," started Hope. "I don't have a problem hitting you upside the head at all."

Arrow pressed a button on the panel by the vault and it began to close the vault door behind them, sealing them in.

"We're not going anywhere." said Arrow, pulling out his badge to stand by Hope. "Hope you don't like closed spaces."

Hope pulled out her own badge and mimicked the stance she saw Arrow in from the bar. "Just makes it much easier for me."

"READY!" Arrow yelled, getting into his stance.

"Ready!" she replied.

"SPB! EMERGENCY!" they both yelled, morphing into their battle suits.

When the lights dimmed, both were in their respective battle suits. Hope looked herself over through her visor and smirked. Her suit was a cobalt blue with a white trim and her katanas were now attached to her back. Drawing both her weapons, Hope swung them and got into a dueling stance.

"This cat's back in business!" she laughed.

Outside, the three of them heard the sounds of electrocution and containment blast shots, four ringing out in succession.

"Well now," said the snow leopard with a smirk. "I think my protection just got caught in your bodyguard's crossfire."

"We don't kill, we detain." said Arrow. "BIG difference."

"So what are you going to do to me, I wonder?" asked Saphira. "Turn me into one of those little cards? …or stab me?"

"Either or doesn't matter to me." said Arrow. "Unless you're going to just give up?"

Saphira giggled, getting to her feet. "I am not going down so easily. What's the fun in that?"

She raised both her hands and bags of money flew at both Arrow and Hope that struck them and stunned them. Saphira pounced towards Arrow and hit him with an uppercut, using her claws to strike him twice in the chest. Saphira tried to kick Arrow back but Arrow caught her foot and spun her. Saphira used the momentum to spin and hit a hard round house kick that knocked Arrow back. Hope raced in and tried slicing at Saphira but Saphira countered with a few kicks to the ribs and then a slice into the chest. Hope grunted in pain but recovered and sliced a few times into the armor of the snow leopard. Saphira jumped back and started shooting yellow energy balls at the cat. Hope sliced through them easily and shot out a few balls of lightning that Saphira dodged. Her dodging led her right to Arrow who leapt into her with a shoulder tackle. Saphira grunted and rolled to the side and tried throwing money bags but Arrow caught one and launched it back, making it explode in Saphira's face, knocking her into one of the cells. Saphira regrouped and stared at both of them before getting back into a stance.

"Give up yet?" asked Hope.

"Not by a longshot!" replied Saphira.

~!~!~!~

The wolf smirked and picked up the last card of the captured goons he had fought against. Before he could pocket the card, a shot rang out and the card Dakoda held shattered into pieces. Dakoda blinked, looking down at the pieces and then back in the direction of the shot, seeing another figure in a black cloak, holding a weapon underneath.

"Wh-…seriously?" said Dakoda. "What is it with you guys and dressing in all black? Are you guys like monks or something?"

"That was a warning shot." said the figure.

"…I'm sorry but are you trying to intimidate me?" said the wolf, pulling his Blitzer out again. "Well that ain't gonna work, bub. My gun is bigger."

The figure pulled back the hood and opened the cloak, pulling out his sniper rifle. He was a male snow leopard with the same features as Saphira and strange goggles on his face.

"…I beg to differ." said Larcen.

Larcen raised his sniper rifle and pressed a button on the side and the scope moved inside the rifle and two blades came out from the end and the blaster hole, forming a bo-staff. Larcen suddenly swung the rifle and it sent out a yellow shockwave that Dakoda quickly dodged. Larcen rushed in and disarmed Dakoda, slicing into him two times before Dakoda caught him and smashed his fist into Larcen's face. Larcen stumbled and Dakoda stepped in, hitting some hard boxing jabs to the ribs and the face, grabbing Larcen's head and under-hooking it, suplexing him down to the ground. Larcen rolled and got back to his feet and dodged a boot to the face from Dakoda. Larcen swept out Dakoda's leg from under him and then flipped, driving the heel of the boot on Dakoda's chest. Larcen rolled, grabbed his sniper rifle, and aimed, but Dakoda was just as quick, grabbing his Containment Blaster.

"No one beats me in a quick draw, bub." the wolf said with a cunning smirk.

Pulling the trigger on the blaster, the containment blast rocketed out. However, Larcen brought his cloak up and shielded himself and the containment blast fizzled into static, effectively negated. Dakoda blinked and then looked at his blaster.

"What the!?" he said.

Larcen smirked. "You didn't think I would come here unprepared, did you?"

"How did you—"

Larcen said nothing more and raised his wrist up and pressed a button, teleporting away suddenly. Dakoda was about to protest before the male disappeared. He sighed and then opened his badge.

"Evan, its Dakoda. I want you to run a little check here to see if anything was taken."

"You think Saphira and that other guy may have taken something?" replied Evan.

"More than likely, this was a distraction. Get back to me as soon as possible."

"Will do!"

Dakoda looked back to the vault door and typed in something on the keypad but received no signal.

"Drat…" mumbled Dakoda. "Come on guys, you got this."

~!~!~!~

Inside the vault, Saphira had little to no problems keeping both Arrow and Hope on their feet. A few of the cells were dented on impact; money littered on the floor. Saphira leapt at Arrow with claws extended and Arrow blocked, knocking her back again with a yelp upon impact of the vault doors. Hope spun her katanas, sparking like wildfire, and crossed them together quickly, sending out lightning bolts when she slid the katanas together. Saphira was able to dodge and raised her hand, sending Hope up into the air and then slamming into the wall on the second floor.

"You're making this a lot harder than normal." said Saphira, glaring at Arrow.

"I have that effect with people sometimes." he replied, wielding the Flambard in a defensive stance.

Hope had regained her bearings and looked down at Saphira and stepped back, putting her two katanas together side by side. The sword emitted static and then began to glow bright blue, forming a giant sword made entirely out of channeled blue electricity.

"Well!?" yelled Saphira. "Make your move! What are you waiting for!?"

Arrow looked up through his visor. "…the perfect moment."

Hope smirked. "Time for a SHORT CIRCUIT!"

Saphira's eyes widened and right as she began to turn, Hope leaped into action by diving off the second floor, slicing through Saphira's armor. The impact created static all around Saphira and caused cracks to form in her armor. Stumbling back, Saphira dropped down onto her back against some of the bags, staring up at Hope who had one of her swords pointed directly at Saphira's face. Loose static emitted from her hands as she stood still.

"Is that all you got?" taunted Saphira, looking up at Hope. "Kitty's got claws but so do I…only mine are better."

"Don't test me." said the cat, staring down with a glare. "You think the sting through your body hurts now?"

"Oh, I'm so scared." the snow leopard said with a faint giggle.

Arrow looked to Hope, walking by. "Hope."

"…yes?" she said, turning her head slightly.

"…don't." he said. "You've made your point."

Hope looked at Arrow and took in a breath. It was very rare for her to show anger; it wasn't what her parents had taught her. It took her a moment to realize this and she sheathed both her swords and then drew her Containment Blaster, aiming it at Saphira.

"You know what to do?" asked Arrow.

Hope nodded. "Saphira Kross, you're under arrest for robbery and resisting arrest. Game over."

With that, Hope pulled the trigger and the Containment Blaster enveloped Saphira, turning her into a card. The feline took in a deep breath and walked over, bending over to pick up the card and look at it. Looking at Arrow, she gave the card to him.

"Here. I don't know what to do with this." she said with a weak giggle.

"Keep it." He said, going back to the vault door, pressing buttons on the panel to open it.

Dakoda saw the door opening and walked over, arms crossed. "You got her?'

Hope nodded and held up the card. "Not as hard as I thought it would be."

"Atta girl!" laughed Dakoda.

"And you?" asked Arrow.

"Four for the price of one." the wolf replied, patting his pocket. "It would have been five but he got away."

Arrow nodded. "Saphira's friend, I'm guessing?"

"Yeah, he had this cloak though that stopped a containment blast; completely neutralized it. He was a snow leopard with a sniper rifle that packed quite a punch."

"Are you alright though?" inquired the porcupine.

Dakoda smirked. "Always! You can't take this wolf down THAT easily."

"I figured." said Arrow, raising his wrist up. "Power down."

Hope watched as Arrow's suit vanished and she did the same. "Power down."

After demorphing, she dropped to one knee and shivered in a bit of pain. Arrow looked down at her and helped her to her feet.

"I guess I am not used to this suit yet... it was the heat..." she said.

"You get used to it after a while." said Arrow with a light smile.

"Yeah…I'm sure I will."

~!~!~!~

The ride back to the SPB HQ was quiet. Hope had plenty of thoughts on her mind. She felt a sense of accomplishment with capturing Saphira yet also nervous of what Silas, Dakoda, or Evan would think of her. Acceptance was something that had seemed to have eluded Hope through her life. Many in the past had not given her a second glance. She knew deep down there was nothing boring about her. Here was genuine chance to prove herself. Dakoda told Hope to meet Arrow on the observation deck once he and Arrow spoke with Silas. In Sector E, Dakoda and Arrow stood in Evan's command room with Silas and Evan.

"So? What have you to report?" asked Silas.

"It was a distraction." said Dakoda. "It has to be. Looked like a typical heist at first but those guys I fought put up barely much of a fight."

"We encountered someone there named Saphira Kross." Said Arrow.

Evan tilted his head. "The Bumble Bee?"

Arrow nodded. "Correct. We fought her in the vault. Hope detained her."

"From what I saw she handled herself quite well in the suit." said the bear.

The otter chuckled to himself. "It's funny, I didn't know if the suit would be able to handle the electrical feedback from her natural powers."

The porcupine arched an eyebrow to Evan. "You said the same thing about me with the fire and look how well it turned out?"

"Look, right now I don't care about snow leopards in black cloaks with sniper rifles and psychic powers." said Dakoda. "There was a cover for something. Did you find anything Evan?"

"Turns out you were right, Dee." said Evan. "They didn't take any money but a little private stroll through some decrypted logs, something's missing on their list."

"And that is?" asked Silas.

Evan typed some things on the keyboard and pulled up the log. "Security Deposit Box 3X9."

Arrow blinked. "3X? That's SPB storage."

"Precisely." said the otter. "Remember that old weapons sector we closed off and stored weapons for the military in there in case of emergency?"

"What about them?" asked Dakoda.

"…in that box were security codes and access keycards for the sector." said Evan.

Arrow crossed his arms. "And now those black cloak guys have their hands on them. That can't be good."

"We'll be ready, you can count on that." said Evan with a smirk.

"Look at the positives." the bear said, turning to the table to pick up a box. "We have one of them in captivity thanks to Hope."

Dakoda put a hand on Arrow's shoulder. "Go to her, man."

Arrow nodded and took the box from Silas before putting it under his arm and leaving the room, going down the stairs to the elevator. Dakoda turned back to Evan and Silas and looked to the otter.

"Before you ask Dakoda, yes it is almost ready." said Evan. "We just need to run some final tests and then it will be ready. Are you SURE about re-using SPB Black?"

"…just make sure it's ready." said the wolf, starting to head out of the room. "That WON'T happen again…"

~!~!~!~

The observation deck was quiet. As expected, no one was there minus Hope. The room was long like a rectangle and the sun was setting in the distance; casting's its last rays upon the city and the SPB HQ itself. At the end of the room was Hope, leaning against the railing. She was still wearing her katana sheaths on her back with her jean jacket wrapped around her waist. The elevator dinged and the feline's left ear flickered. Arrow made his way across the room to her and stopped by her, putting down the box to lean over the railing as well.

"Dakoda wasn't kidding." she said. "It does have a romantic view."

"How are you feeling?" asked Arrow.

She turned her head to him and smiled. "I'm alright, thanks. I just didn't know I gave off a lot of body heat when I use my lightning."

"Your control over it is impressive. What do you use?"

"It's kind of hard to explain. It's like my inner energy; like a backup battery deep within. It helps me control my lightning."

Arrow nodded. "I thought you may have had an item of sorts but...it sounds almost supernatural."

Hope looked to Arrow with a gentle smile. "You could say that."

Arrow looked to the katanas on her back. "Are those yours?"

"Yep, I have a history of sharp objects." she said with a giggle.

"May I see them?"

Hope stood up and unsheathed one of the swords. On the hilt of the katana was the word "MOM".

"And the other one says…?"

"Dad."

"…are they…?"

"Never found them." she said, looking down at the city below. "You're not the only one with a past Arrow."

"That I figured." He replied, admiring the katanas.

"I learned how to fight when I was very young. Those katanas are the only remnants of my past now. They taught me how to harness my inner energy and how to defend myself."

"It's remarkable." He said with a chuckle. "YOU Hope…are remarkable."

Hope blushed. "The same for you, flame boy."

The two chuckled together whilst looking out at the sunset. Arrow then bent down and picked up the box, opening it. Hope looked inside to spot an SPB uniform with a blue trim.

"Your uniform." said Arrow.

It took a few moments to register as Hope took the uniform out to look at. "You're serious."

"You passed the course, the combat training, and capturing a criminal with a Containment Blaster. What else needs to be said?"

Before Arrow finished the sentence, Hope suddenly grabbed Arrow in an excited hug, letting go to look at her uniform.

"Oh my god, thank you!" she said, jumping up and down almost. "Sorry for hugging you Arrow but thanks! I won't let you guys down!"

Arrow blinked, looking at her before lightly hugging her back. "I don't think you've given me reason to yet."

"I take it I can get my weapons out of the vault now?"

"…your weapons?"

Hope nodded. "Remember back in the bank? These swords are only 2 out of 13."

"That's an unlucky number for some. You didn't seem like the sword type."

"Like a porcupine once told me: expectations have a way with surprising people." Hope remarked with a playful wink.

"...touché."

"So is there anything else I should know about you guys and what you all do? Like for fun?"

"What they do? Dakoda and Evan usually hang around here and then go to some place for drinks. The pay is good. We rarely have a day with an empty wallet."

"Great! I can't wait to get started then. I look forward to being an agent!"

"You have a long way to go."

"I am willing to go the extra mile to achieve my goals."

"That WILL get you some places." said Arrow with a smirk.

"Thank you Arrow. Maybe whenever you feel comfortable with me, maybe you can accept me as your team mate."

"Maybe I already have."

"Wait... really?"

"I dropped a hint. Didn't catch it?"

"I guess I kinda missed it?" she said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Don't worry about it. You'll understand many things later. There's a whole city out there that needs our help. And you have to be ready for anything. Whatever choices you make can affect the whole city later on."

"I'm ready to take that responsibility."

Arrow turned his head fully to her. "You say that now. But when the chips are really down, when all hell breaks loose, and you may be one of the only few who can do something, what will you do?"

"Remain calm no matter how crazy things go and keep your mind focused on what needs to be done."

"But that remains only words. Anyone can talk up a game. Sooner or later those words will be put to the test and there's no pressure of course but this will not be easy. This is a whole new life you are about to enter. If there is doubt, you may not be ready."

"My life changed for me when I was very young. The only difference here is that I am not alone this time..." she said, looking to him with a serious face. "I can handle it, I'm ready."

"...good. It only gets better from here on out."

"I look forward to it." The feline said before extending her head to him.

Arrow looked to her hand and then took it, shaking it. "Welcome to the team then. "

"So is there any chance you're gonna tell me about yourself?" she asked.

He chuckled lightly. "One step at a time, Hope."

Hope giggled. "It was worth a shot."

"Come on then." said Arrow, working towards the elevator. "I'll get you a drink."

Picking up her uniform box, she followed quickly behind. "That would be nice, thank you."

"Only fair I pay. Don't expect to fill up my tab."

"I won't promise anything."

"Neither of us will."

~!~!~!~

Night time seemed to roll by quicker than expected. They said that night time was when Payton City truly came alive with the nightclubs and the late night parties of the rich and famous. But it was also in the night where the real terrors came to play. Ever since SPB sealed away the Rezecos in the D1 district, not a single soul dared go near the D districts at all. SPB wasn't able to contain news reports of the Rezecos escaping so Silas had no choice but to seal off district D1, D2, and D3 for safe measure. Night time was the perfect time to meet in the D districts and that was exactly where Larcen was going to.

Static fizzled inside of an empty room within the D2 district; an empty apartment complex in the middle of the district. The snow leopard in the black cloak appeared in the room via teleport and he pulled back his hood, looking around him with a briefcase under his cloak. He turned around to see another figure in a black cloak approach him, carrying a laptop under his arm. Placing the laptop down on the table and opening it, a pixelated face appeared wearing a mask on the screen.

"The cards, if you please." said the voice, digitally altered into a gravelly tone.

Larcen put the briefcase down on the table and opened it, showing a few keycards, USB drives, and folders.

"…she was captured." started Larcen.

"Your sister? That's a shame. I expected better of her."

"There has to be some way to break her out, Xantos!" said the snow leopard. "I am NOT leaving her behind!"

"Your sister was a distraction for your mission, Larcen. Do not forget your place."

"What, she was the expendable one?"

"That's not our problem, mate." said the one in the cloak.

"She is not our responsibility." said Xantos. "The mission will continue as planned—"

"To hell with the mission!" yelled Larcen. "I have no problem going right in there to bust her out right NOW."

"….a sniper should not be this naïve. You mustn't be looking at the picture from that perspective, Larcen." the voice said.

"What are you talking about?"

"A genius like me always thinks more than two steps ahead. Yes your sister may be expendable but to say she is completely useless would not be correct."

Larcen looked to the figure in the cloak and then to Xantos before crossing his arms. "…I'm listening."

"My own plan involves something far greater then you can possibly imagine, Larcen. I suggest you stick around."

Larcen stepped forward. "Can you guarantee my sister's safety? On that ONE condition, I will agree to help you."

"I have further use for you." said Xantos. "You and the rest of the Legion may seem like pawns but in the end, this city will be under OUR control. As for your sister, I will see what can be arranged. Take it or leave it."

"We'll be watching." said the cloaked figure. "Wait for our instructions."

"…fair enough." said Larcen.

Larcen turned and began walking away, teleporting after the first few steps.

"…so." said the figure. "You have faith in him?"

"Saphira and Larcen are the moles, nothing more and nothing less. If they choose to betray us, you have my authorization to finish them."

The figure nodded and closed the laptop, looking to where Larcen teleported and walked in the opposite direction.

"…as if I NEEDED permission…"


	3. Damien

**SPACE PATROL BETA: MISSION ZERO  
CHAPTER 3: Damian  
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY ZAK KAYES AND JULIE WELCH  
CHARACTERS BELONG TO SASSYNEKOBABYGURL830 AND FLAMEAMIGO619**

_Is this thing working? Okay, good. This is Hope Markey, Space Patrol Beta Blue Agent, Log…One. I've been a member of SPB for about a week and this past week has been a little rough. But, looking back, I think I've handled worse. I'm not some ordinary girl on the street and I'm definitely not some generic chick. Everyone has a story, mine's just not very long. I didn't really have anything coming into Payton City and I was seriously considering leaving before I joined SPB. Now I feel I have a reason to stay. Both my parents are sword masters and the blades I carry are mine. I'm not exactly comfortable telling EVERYTHING about me, you'll find out as these logs go by. I was approached by Arrow Lite and Dakoda Weston, SPB Red and Black to be a part of their team. I was a bit hesitant to join but after I saw what they could do, I couldn't say no. My first time being at SPB HQ made me a bit nervous. The training was a little more difficult than I thought. Guns were never my thing; I'm a sword type of girl. As for my first mission, I think Saphira gave me a good challenge. I may have gotten carried away though but when Arrow gave me that box holding my SPB uniform__,__ I felt like I belonged to something. _

_Now about the guys I work with, it kinda sucks I'm the only girl on the team. Hopefully that will change. I'm sure Dakoda wouldn't mind if there were two girls though. Dakoda's okay; he seems sweet, strong, and nice on the eyes. It doesn't help that he's a big flirt but he's more of a friend to me. Though sometimes, I can sense he's jealous about something. Evan's been nice to me, wanting me to go through more tests on the suits to help improve my endurance. He's a nice enough guy and he's a lot smarter than I expected. Silas scared me at first, I won't lie. I'll be sure to stay on his good side. A guy like him must have SOME sort of story. The one person here I know that has a story is Arrow. He's a hard book to read and I'm sure he's hiding something but I don't want to push it. I saw him smile and laugh when we had drinks so I know he's a good guy underneath all the toughness and fire. So far my time here is interesting, here's hoping I can fit in. Agent Markey, out._

~!~!~!~

It was early in the morning in the Space Patrol Beta Headquarters, roughly around 8:45 AM. For the past few days, Arrow made sure to personally oversee Hope's advanced training by training her himself. The first two days were rough but things became more interesting once both their powers and weapons were introduced. Today was going to be different. In the back of the training room were both Arrow and Hope, standing across from one another. Both had been sparring for a good thirty minutes and this was their break period.

"These past few days I've been teaching you different techniques." started Arrow. "Don't count these days as losses. Think of these as lessons. Today I'm gonna teach you some more submissions."

"How exactly will this help?" asked Hope.

"Submission skills are a necessity when all else fails. Why go for brute strength when you can systematically bring them down?"

"I'm not exactly the strongest though."

Arrow chuckled. "You don't have to be. You have to study your opponent, find their weakness, and lure them in. That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

"It's easier said than done, Arrow."

They both bowed to one another before getting into stances.

"I am not going down so easily." said the cat with a smirk.

"I can see that. You don't make things easy for me. Now come on. Again."

"Weapons this time or…?"

"We've experimented with our styles and with our weapons in various combinations. The strength comes from your soul, not from objects. Now, sometimes the common criminals need to be made to submit. It's the easiest way to ground them."

Hope nodded at this and made her hands spark lightly, making them into fists. Arrow's hands glowed with fire as he extended his arms, watching her closely. The bolts on Hope's tail sparked as she made the first move, moving in for a roundhouse kick. Arrow zipped forward and knelt, flipping the cat over his shoulders. Hope was quick to get back on her feet after kipping up. She spun herself around to hit him with a kick but he caught her leg and used the momentum of her leg to knock her down and twist at her ankle. Hope was prepared and turned her body around, kicking him in the chest with her foot, pulsing with static, to knock him off.

"That's new." said Arrow with a smirk.

Arrow charged in and sidestepped her, attempting a headlock. Hope was ready and grabbed Arrow's arm, dragging him down to try for her own headlock. The porcupine grunted and moved his legs up, locking them around her neck. Hope gasped and squirmed but quickly charged her hands with static and placed them on his legs. The jolt unlocked the legs and Arrow rolled away. Right as he got to his feet, Hope charged in and speared her shoulder straight into his gut, knocking him down. Arrow regrouped and pushed her off, attempting to lock her arm in an arm-bar. He was careful to apply pressure at just the right point and twisted it to an odd angle. Hope growled in pain but was able to escape and successfully put Arrow into a headlock. Arrow struggled and picked her up but Hope suddenly jumped up and locked her legs around his waist, making the lock tighter.

"Give up Arrow, I got you right where I want you!" said Hope.

Arrow found himself in a predicament as Hope's body tingled with static, making Arrow drop to his knee. However, he waited for Hope's grip to loose and her guard to lower so he could charge his hands with fire and place them onto her waist. Hope growled in pain and dropped Arrow. The fiery porcupine rolled over and got to his feet.

"I think we'll call that a draw." said Arrow as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Aww, you knew I was gonna win, didn't you?"

"If I wanted to, I could have burned your hands so you wouldn't be able to grab me at all." Arrow started with a smirk.

Hope crossed her arms. "And I could have easily shocked you so hard your brain would fry."

"…touché. You have quite a talent with your static touch."

"It comes in handy in a pinch." she said with a giggle. "I hope I didn't shock you TOO much."

"I've felt worse. But it's okay; I needed a real wake up call."

Hope nodded before picking up her katanas. "So, Commander, what next?"

"...coffee? My treat?"

"It's always your treat. I can pay for myself, hun."

Arrow picked up his duffel bag and began heading towards the elevator with Hope following.

"Who taught you how to fight?" asked Arrow.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Your moves; you know a bit of martial arts, right?"

"Yeah, I do." She took a deep breath. "My parents spent seven to eight years teaching me before they passed. After that, I taught myself new moves. What I show you today represents me, my mom, and my dad. It's like they are fighting alongside me."

"Your parents must be proud of you."

"Yeah I know they would be." She smiled and playfully bumped her hip with his. "So what about you, flame boy? How'd you learn how to fight?"

Arrow looked to her then put his gaze in front of him. "I wasn't the most skilled growing up. I taught myself self-defense. Dakoda helped me a bit."

"You two seem close, like brothers. That's pretty cool. I wish I had a friend to help me with my umm…spark."

"Spark?"

Hope looked to one of the tables near the end of the room and suddenly shot out a ball of static at it, making it flip over.

"You may need some work on that." said Arrow.

"I've learned to control it but electricity can be unpredictable. The more I charge, the stronger it gets though." Hope pointed to the other table with a cup. "I was aiming for the cup on the table though."

"You just need to work on focusing it. Electricity can be just as deadly as fire."

"Sort of like blue fire, right?'

Arrow nodded and raised his palm up, producing a small fireball. He then aimed his palm towards another cup and the fireball turned into a little arrow, launching out to turn the cup into ash upon contact.

"Nice shot." smiled Hope.

"It took me a summer to hone my fire. I owe most of my teachings to a man named Nimagio."

"Nimagio?"

Arrow extended one of his hands and summoned one of his chakrams.

"The Inferno Chakrams were his as was the Flambard." started Arrow.

"I've never heard of them before. What do they do?"

Arrow pressed the button to summon the elevator. "Have you ever seen TRON?"

"It's a good movie, why?"

"Do you remember those discs from the movie?" asked Arrow. "They are sort of like that. I'm able to summon them when I need them. Think of them like spiky boomerang discs."

"Oh I see. I was wondering how you made them."

"You never asked."

Hope nodded and the elevator rang with a ding and both the porcupine and the feline stepping through.

"Quick question." started Hope. "Do you think Evan can fix my sneakers? They need a little tune up."

"What's wrong with them?"

"They haven't been working right since the fight at the bank."

Arrow nodded. "I'll fix them for you."

"You? I didn't think you were a tech guy."

The porcupine raised up one of his sneakers. 'Evan helped me design them so I know my way around fixing them. He showed me."

"Oh cool! Maybe you can teach me?"

"…once you beat me."

"I will get you, some day. Come on, you owe me coffee and a muffin for burning me."

"Fair enough."

~!~!~!~

Dakoda exited from the elevator with his hands in his hoody pockets. He had just gotten to work after deciding to walk from his apartment straight to HQ. Silas had pulled him aside and informed him of a "special assignment" involving one Saphira Kross. He went down the steps to the lower level of the containment room. The wolf stood by the control panel and looked to the pad nearby it. He took out the card from his hoody pocket and placed it in the slot, typing a few things on the keypad before pressing a button saying Release. There was a few seconds of silence before the cones nearby the mat began to glow and suddenly, a form began to materialize. Saphira's form finished materializing and she looked around, her eyes becoming fixed on Dakoda.

"Oh... It's you." She started, staring a hole through Dakoda. "Do you know how long I was in there for!?"

"Two weeks. But for us it was roughly a week."

Saphira scoffed, looking away. "I suppose I miscalculated. I've seen this sort of technology before."

"My commanding officer suggested I let you out two days early."

"Pray tell: what for?"

Dakoda crossed his arms. "We did a little background check on you and your criminal record has a massive stain. You were almost charged with twelve counts of theft."

"It's fourteen, actually. I don't count two of them though. And yet your still letting me go, I think that's a great idea."

Dakoda pulled a monitor from his pocket, shaped like an ankle monitor.

"Funny, I thought pups were the ones kept on leashes." said the snow leopard with a devious smirk.

"You're being released under my supervision."

She sighed. "Great."

"Or I could just file the rest of the paperwork and you could be in there for about...two years?" Saphira stayed silent. "Think of this like your trial period. If you take it off, you get sent back to the cell."

"Fine." She said with a sigh. "So what are the rules?"

Dakoda walked over and knelt, placing the monitor on her ankle. "You stay where I can see you unless I tell you otherwise. You'll be my shadow. Silas, the one I work for...says that you have potential."

"Maybe your boss isn't a ditz after all."

"Assuming of course you've read up on us."

"Yeah, it's not hard to Google search Space Petrol Beta, hack past the firewall, find your bank, put together a plan—"

"And give us the bait and switch."

Saphira blinked. "I don't get what you mean."

"I didn't think there was anything interesting in our storage facility."

"Well you'd be surprised what I can do with a few old toys. Don't worry, I did a lot more research on you, wolf boy."

"Really now?" said the wolf with a smirk.

"Your name is Dakoda Allen Weston, SPB Black Agent; age twenty two. You're nearly two hundred pounds, six foot two exactly. You broke your collarbone at age fifteen rock climbing, you're an only child, and you grew up a couple of towns away from here. Your birthday's on December twenty-second. Your daddy was never in the picture hence why…you have your mother's last name when it SHOULD be Yallroy. Need I go on?"

"That's...quite enough."

Saphira giggled. "I told you. I looked through all the SPB files. Oh and don't worry, I know my friends are looking up info on your new blue friend."

"Well, it's nice to know you did a little run through of our files but those are just facts. They don't tell much about the person themselves."

"Alright, then humor me Dakoda. What are we going to do now that I am your shadow?"

"There was a disturbance down by the train yards. Someone heard an explosion by the supply cars. I'm on my way to investigate. My partner currently has his own partner so I need one as backup."

"You mean Arrow? Well, I guess I can go with you."

"You are." said the wolf, heading to the door. "Try to keep up."

"No weapons?" she asked, following.

"You'll see."

The two made their way back up the stairs to the elevator and they both stepped through when it arrived. Both remained quiet to one another as the elevator made its way to Sector E. When it reached its destination, Dakoda and Saphira stepped through and headed straight to the back of the room where Evan was at work, putting the finishing touches on a Blitzer.

"Morning Evan." said Dakoda.

"Morning Da-….woah." Evan found himself both confused and surprised. "...hold on. What's she doing here?"

"She's here under my supervision." said the wolf.

Saphira's eyes wandered around the room, eyeing the various gadgets behind Evan and his control room.

"You're the tech guy, I'm guessing." She said.

"That I am, miss." replied Evan, extending his hand. "Shippen. Evan Shippen."

"Saphira." she replied, shaking his hand.

"I wanted to say, first off, you must have had some amazing gear for your heists." said Evan with a pleasant smile. "I would love to have seen your gear. It's fascinating, really it is."

The wolf gave the otter a confused look. "Vee. Really?"

Evan rubbed the back of his head. "What? Come on..."

"You're the first nerd I've met in a while." giggled Saphira. "But yes, I did make them myself and no, they are for MY eyes only."

"Well that sucks." said Evan. "I bet my tech is just as—"

"Maybe another time." interrupted the wolf. "Did you finish fixing my Beta Badge?"

Evan nodded and went to his shelf, pressing a few buttons that opened a drawer. He dug through and pulled out a black Beta Badge.

"I made a few more modifications to it." said Evan. "It's mostly just with the voice code. I changed it for all the other Badges too."

"Was SPB Emergency just too cheesy?" said Dakoda with a smirk.

The otter rubbed the back of his head. "…not the word I'm looking for exactly. I changed the code to Suit Up."

Dakoda looked at the badge and Evan handed it to him.

"Nice." said Dakoda with a smirk. "Finally back in action!"

"What happened to your badge?" asked Saphira.

"It malfunctioned." said Evan. "We were testing it and there was an unexpected power surge."

Saphira looked to Dakoda's eye and then back to the badge. "…I guess that explains that then."

"Oh yeah!" said Evan, going to pick up the Blitzer. "Your Meta-Blitzer redesigned and modified with the new self-recharging ammo."

"You really thought ahead." Dakoda said with a smirk, holding his weapon in his hands easily.

Saphira eyed the wall next to Evan, looking over the various weapons. "Can we get going already?"

"You'll need a weapon too when you're out on the field." said Evan, going to the wall to hand her a Singler. "A little Singler should do, no?"

Saphria rolled her eyes before catching her eye on a Viper, picking it up and grabbing some ammo for it.

"Isn't that a bit big for you?" asked Dakoda.

"No." She said, holding it loosely by her side. "Is that a problem?"

Dakoda crossed his arms. "I don't think you can handle a gun like that."

"I've handled bigger so…don't flatter yourself." She said, patting his cheek and walking off.

Evan couldn't help but snicker. The wolf just rolled his eyes and walked past Saphira.

~!~!~!~

"You did what?!"

Arrow and Hope were not too pleased with the news given to him by Silas. The bear had called both Arrow and Hope to his office after they had gotten coffee to inform them of what Dakoda was doing.

"I will not repeat myself." said Silas. "My word is final, Arrow. The necessary precautions were taken into account. I trust Dakoda to handle Saphira's supervision."

"And she's out in the field with him, correct?" asked Hope.

Silas nodded. "I sent them both down to the train-yards to check on a disturbance."

"She's a threat." said Arrow. "A VERY tech-savvy threat Silas."

"I am aware of this but need I remind you we have our own tech-savvy threat." said Silas. "It sounds to me like you don't trust her."

Arrow crossed his arms. "I'm more concerned about the people she works for. Whoever her 'backup' was at the bank could have set this whole thing up as a trap."

"Yes, there is a chance this could be a trap." noted the bear. "But we will be ready. Right now, I need you two to go down to the sewers."

"Lovely." noted the porcupine. "My least favorite level of any game."

"…you're welcome to express your opinion too, Hope." said Silas.

Hope looked to both Arrow and Silas before putting a finger to her chin. "I'm concerned for Dakoda's safety, sir. But I know he can take her on. There IS a chance that things could go bad but isn't that in the job description? If everything went according to plan, our lives would be pretty boring."

"And if her back up sniper brother is waiting?" asked Arrow.

"We already checked into this sniper." said Silas. "But the details on him are on a need-to-know basis. Evan will be monitoring them."

"So what's the situation in the sewers?" asked Hope.

"Motion sensors were put down there long ago in case creatures or thieves were roaming around. The sensors picked up movement an hour ago."

Arrow crossed his arm. "Well that doesn't seem like that big of a problem."

"That is until the sensors picked up on a strange energy reading with the movement." continued the bear.

"Do you think the Rezecos got out again?" she asked.

"That is a possibility yes. Either way, I want you two to go down and investigate."

Arrow nodded and opened his badge, pulling up the map. "Where's it at it?"

"The C2 district." said Silas. "It won't take you long to get there. Be careful."

Arrow and Hope both nodded and saluted. They both made their way to the door and exited, heading towards the stairs that led down to the stairs for the garage.

"You nervous about Dakoda?" asked the cat. "I know I am."

"…something doesn't seem right about this. But I have to trust him. I know he's been put in tougher situations."

The two went down both flights of stairs to get to the garage. Hope walked over to some of the vehicles and admired them while Arrow programmed his GPS.

"So how far is the C2 district?" asked Hope.

"A mile or two away." said Arrow who then added a smirk. "I would say fly but looks like we'll have to go the old way."

Hope giggled. "Aww, you don't want to carry me to the site?"

Hope had her back turned to Arrow who walked behind her and whispered into her ear. "I don't think you're fast enough."

Hope's head turned but before she could react he had activated his boots and rocketed out of the garage. She blinked before activating hers, quickly giving chase to him.

~!~!~!~

Dakoda was expecting a silent ride to their destination. Saphira didn't really seem like the conversation type but he was surprised when SHE was the one who decided to strike up a conversation…on musicals. While it was an odd topic of discussion, the wolf went along with it and they ended up discussing favorite movies, television shows, and songs. Eventually they reached the train yards. The train yards were usually noisy and bustling this time of day but the yard was almost eerily silent. The SUV pulled up after going through the main gate that had been left open.

"Weird...they cleared the area out pretty quickly." said Dakoda as he parked the SUV in the middle of the train yard.

Saphira opened the door on her end, eyes gazing around her surroundings. "Maybe we drove out here for nothing?"

The wolf pointed to the sky. "...I'd say the smoke qualifies as something."

"Oh now you're Smokey the bear? Lucky me." remarked the snow leopard, arms crossed neatly across her chest.

Dakoda went to the backseat of the car and pulled out his Meta Blitzer, holding it close to him. He began heading towards the smoke, turning the corner to eventually find the smoldering remains of a supply car. Saphira was right behind him with her own retrieved Viper.

"…woah." They said simultaneously.

"What could have caused this?" mused Saphira.

Dakoda shrugged and began walking towards the supply car. He stopped and his right ear twitched. Something was up. He suddenly jumped back as an ice spire rocketed up from the ground, nearly impaling the wolf.

"What in the hell!?" yelled Saphira.

Suddenly, a black figure leaped from the ground and landed with a clang on one of the supply cars. Dakoda and Saphira turned to see a figure in a black hoody with black jean. The hood was up, concealing his face. In his right hand was a weird looking weapon.

"Looks like we got company." said Saphira.

The figure moved its hood up to reveal the face of a dark brown dingo. He smirked looking down, his gaze directly on Saphira's. Her ears went back as she froze.

"Friend of yours?" asked the wolf, cocking the Blitzer.

"N-no…" she said, glaring at the dingo.

The dingo raised up the weapon in his hand which looked like a large gun with a crossbow attachment. Saphira's eyes suddenly widened when she saw his weapon.

"…you…Dakoda, we need to get out of here. Now." said Saphira, tugging on his arm.

"He doesn't look so tough." the wolf said, flashing a smirk. "Now whoever you are, you can give me some answers. Or else you'll have ME to answer to."

The figure said nothing and only raised its hand up, making more ice spires appear from the ground. Dakoda was easily able to shoot them as they appeared.

"Ice powers huh?" chuckled Dakoda. "I'm glad you're silent. I'd have to blast your head off if I heard any ice puns."

"You might need my help." said Saphira, charging her Viper.

"I think I might." replied the wolf, handing her his Meta Blitzer and pulling out his Beta Badge. "Fingers crossed. SUIT UP!"

The badge activated and Dakoda gained his battle suit, taking the Meta Blitzer back to get in a stance.

"You have a gun. Cover me!" said the wolf to Saphira.

Saphira nodded and watched as the dingo hopped off the supply car, landing neatly on the ground. The dingo began firing off rapid shots from his gun. Dakoda rolled under the shots and tried to get a lock on him but the dingo was quick to race away.

"We gonna let him get away?" she asked.

Dakoda quickly gave chase. "Always love a chase!"

Saphira was right behind him. "He's a trickster. Keep him in your sights."

The dingo kept shooting back at Saphira and Dakoda who kept dodging the blasts. They watched as the dingo jumped up against two train cars, ending up on top. He began to sprint away as Saphira and Dakoda kept their chase.

"We've got to cut him off up ahead." said Saphira. "Does your suit have a jet pack or something?"

Dakoda shook his head. "Not all of the suits do. I'll cut him off ahead. Keep him busy"!

Saphira nodded and used her PSY powers to bring some boxes out, providing her with steps to the top of the car. Larcen had trained her well and she was determined to put her skills to the test.

"This is for you, big brother…"

~!~!~

On the other side of the city, Arrow and Hope landed by the edge of the C2 district. By the edge of the C2 was the sewage treatment plant, a place highly restricted since a few workers attempted to poison the water supply. The two flashed their badges and personnel led them to one of the tunnels. Hope immediately held her nose.

"Ew…it smells like Dakoda's gym bag…"

"Eh you'd be surprised, Hope." said the fiery porcupine. "You haven't smelled him AFTER working out without the air freshener."

"Well you got me there." She chuckled as they both entered the tunnel. "So where is this sensor Silas was talking about?"

"We should almost be there." said the porcupine, looking around as they walked through the tunnel. His eyes wandered around, noticing a few of the sensors and a flash light on the floor.

"At least there's good wi-fi down here." smiled the feline. "Wonder what I should post on my Facepaw?"

"There's a time and a place, Markey." He said, picking up the flashlight. "This is a standard issue flashlight for sewer workers."

The two continued through the tunnels before reaching a set of sensors. They both stopped to see most of them were cracked.

"And standard issue cracked sensors?" asked Hope.

"No. We're right by the central plant, the command center."

"Wait, if we are the near the command center…couldn't the electrical magnetic field waves go through the sensor to set if off?"

"Someone was walking through here with an item that could set the sensors off. That narrows it to invisibility or teleportation."

"How do you figure?"

Arrow crossed his arms. "Evan's the expert on this but the sensors are up to date with even the slightest sense of motion. Evan had me test them. Even a passing fireball could set it off. If you teleported past it, it would sense this. Something to do with electricity. If you sent a lightning bolt past, it would pick that up too."

"Well that makes sense." nodded the cat. "Think a worker for the command center was going through here?"

"Well they do all the time. They carry badges with them that allow them to pass by without the sensors going off. HOWEVER they do carry information with everyone that goes past. If you don't have a badge, the sensor go off and we'll be the first to know."

Hope pulled out her blaster. "Then we better be careful."

Arrow nodded and walked ahead of her, pulling his own blaster out. "Something seems off here."

"What happens if it's just a worker who lost their ID card? We're not gonna contain them for working are we?"

Arrow was unable to come up with an answer as they arrived at the edge of the tunnel and they both almost immediately backed up. Down below was one of the control rooms with several other tunnels around. There were connecting walkways and on said walkways were roaming Rezecos, guarding the area.

"I don't think those are workers." whispered Arrow.

"What the hell are they doing here?"

"Some must be still roaming around…whatever they are doing down here, it can't be good. I'll head down and check things out. Stay here."

"I have a bad feeling about this. Just watch yourself out there."

Arrow nodded and hopped down, landing quietly on the scaffolding. He dug through his pocket and pulled out the necklace the strip of metal, putting it on and walking silently on the walkway. Hope watched and stepped back out of view but in the process, she felt her foot start to sink in the ground. Looking down Hope's eyes widened as a portal appeared underneath her. Before she could make a sound, she suddenly vanished. Arrow hadn't noticed any of this.

After falling through the portal, she landed on the ground on a huge platform, surrounded by darkness. Hope's eyes scanned the area and she walked cautiously to the edge, reaching her hand out. However, her hand ended up touching a force field that made her wince in pain.

"…where am I?" she asked.

The sound of a shot rang out and Hope nearly jumped, turning to see a figure before him. The shot was only a few inches from her feet.

"Woah!" she yelled. "I'm a good guy! Girl, I mean. No need for shooting."

In front of her stood a dingo in a black leather jacket with denim jeans and a few earrings on both ears. He chuckled lightly, holding a crossbow gun.

"Good...bad...the world isn't so black and white, Hope Markey." said the dingo.

"…how do you know my name?"

"We know of much more than a name. We know more than simple words on computer screens."

Hope crossed her arms. "Then who are you?"

"You will not find me anywhere but yet...I am everywhere. You may simply call me...the name of the devil himself, Damien."

"Send me back to my partner. I don't have time for your mind games, doggy."

Damien chuckled. "Perhaps that can be arranged. But I wanted to see first- hand what WE are dealing with."

"What do you mean WE?" she blinked for a moment. "Wait…you must be working with Saphira! What have you done with Dakoda and Arrow!?"

"If we wished to annihilate the pup, we would have done so at the bank. Saphira is…expendable."

"Well what the hell do you want from me!?"

"Simple. If you can prove yourself to me, you will go free. If you can't, you can watch your partner drown and face the wrath of a Rezeco swarm. Time is ticking, Hope Markey."

Hope stared at Damien, fists clenched. "Just let me go back. I don't need to prove myself to the likes of you."

"Now why would I let you go back?" he smirked and raised his gun, pointing it at her.

"I NEVER run." She said, pulling out her badge. "So if you want a fight that badly, you better back up your words! SUIT UP!"

Hope quickly morphed and drew a katana from one of her sheaths

"Don't expect to run from the darkness…" said the dingo with a low chuckle, sights straight on the electric feline.

~!~!~!~

Chasing the Damien copycat was a little harder than Dakoda and Saphira realized. The chase had taken them from the train yards to the adjacent train station. People were evacuating as best they could when the fight got serious. Dakoda had attempted to corner Damien but Damien shot an exploding arrow at the ground by Dakoda's feet, sending the wolf crashing into one of the stands. Damien used his boots to levitate up onto the station platform, pointing the gun at Dakoda. Saphira flung a trash can lid at Damien which allowed Dakoda to tackle Damien down. The wolf was able to get in a few punches before being shoved off.

"That all you got, mister silent?" said the wolf with a smirk.

Damien remained silent.

"Try anything like that and I'll cut your head clean off. Just give up. I know what the hell you've down to me and my brother. If you don't hand yourself over, I'll make you regret living." said Saphira.

Damian didn't move, he only wanted to see what the two of them would do. He smirked and suddenly moved backwards into the open door of the train, shooting the ground to stun them. Wasting no time, he began running to the front of the train.

Dakoda jumped back. "Shoot. This train is headed right to the downtown curve. Come on!"

"Right behind you!" she said, following right behind him.

The doors were about to close but Dakoda stopped them and kept them open. Saphira slipped under Dakoda's arms and opened fire on Damien who dodged the shots. They reached the main car and Damien opened fire on both of them. The two went for cover behind the seats.

"Please tell me you have a plan." said Saphira.

"Always." smirked the wolf.

As Damien was turning to smash open the door, Dakoda had quickly pulled out a little disc and suddenly leaped forward, throwing the disc at Damien. At first nothing happened but the disc pulsed with electricity and electrocuted Damien. The static created a miniature explosion that sent him out of one of the doors onto the platform. The belt on him began to fizzle and his began to change, changing from a dingo into a female raccoon.

"…wait what?" was said by both Dakoda and Saphira.

The raccoon looked at the two of them and scampered up, dashing away. Dakoda pulled out his containment blaster and tried to shoot the raccoon but she brought up her cloak, negating the attack. She pulled out a little grenade from her pocket and tossed it on the ground, creating a veil of smoke for her escape. Dakoda was about to give chase but realized there wouldn't be much point with her getting a head start.

"…what is she doing here?" said Saphira to herself.

Dakoda turned. "You've got some explaining to do when we get back."

"I can't tell you everything. Only what you need to know. Are you alright?"

"Course I am."

Saphira smiled. "…good."

~!~!~!~

The real Damien was putting Hope's abilities to the test. He didn't stay in one place for very long and kept himself on the move, teleporting every once in a while to fire off more blasts from his weapon. Hope was dodging as best she could, shooting electric bolts from her hand. She was slowly becoming annoyed by Damien's constant teleporting. On occasion, he was stunned by lightning and vulnerable to a few slices but he kept up his strategy of shooting and teleporting. He was becoming much faster and vicious in his attacks. Hope was about to draw her next katana but Damien didn't show up for a few more seconds. She stood still and closed her eyes to focus.

"Focus and be ready." She said to herself.

There was silence until Damien teleported right behind her. Hope spun around and clocked Damien straight in the face, knocking him down. He grunted and rolled, attempting to hit her with the butt of his gun but Hope sidestepped and sliced the gun straight in half. Hope quickly sheathed her katana and lunged at the dingo, taking him down. She quickly locked him into a cross arm bar like Arrow had shown. Damien found it hard to escape and couldn't reach the button to teleport. Without warning, she yanked on his arm as hard as she could till she heard a snap. Damien was able to hit the button with his free hand and he teleported out of her grasp. Hope got back to her feet to see Damien again.

"You won't be leaving this sewer alive you little brat!" he yelled. "…but you proved yourself, feline. Have fun drowning."

Hope was about to move but found herself unable as a shadow portal dragged her down. Meanwhile Arrow, despite his best judgments, fought against the Rezecos who had spotted him and knocked some of the railings with his Flambard. He had morphed and he was fighting for his life. A portal appeared on the wall and Hope dropped, colliding on top of Arrow.

"Arrow!" she yelled, getting to her feet.

Arrow quickly got to his feet, helping her up. "Where the hell have you been?!"

"Look I'll tell you later. We need to get out of here!"

The porcupine nodded and the both of them nearly jumped when the alarms began to go off.

"WARNING. EMERGENCY FLUSH ACTIVATED." said a voice from the speakers.

Arrow looked to the control room and then to the tunnels. He wasted no time by grabbing Hope's arm and dashing up the walkways to the tunnel they entered from.

"What's going on?!" asked Hope.

"You know how a toilet flushes everything out? Imagine if we're in the tunnels. We're in the Waste Disposal plant and this WHOLE place is getting flushed!"

Realizing what Arrow meant, she began to run as fast as him, muttering words under her breath. There was one thing she hated more than filthy men and that was filth itself. The flushing had already begun and in doing so, the tunnels began to rumble and crack. They could hear the water and the alarms growing louder. They soon reached the section by the entrance and Arrow dashed ahead, unaware of a crack on the higher part of the tunnel and a piece of debris that was aimed for his head.

"Watch out!" she yelled.

Hope raced in and yanked him back just in time. She looked to Hope who nodded at him and they raced up the stairs out of the main tunnel to the outside.

"...phew... "said Arrow, leaning his body over to pant.

Hope was hunched over. "Y-you alright A-Arrow?"

"Other than the smell, I'll be fine." He said, standing up and looking back at the tunnel. "What happened to you?"

"Someone abducted me and forced me to fight them. Some dingo named Damien. He said I had to prove myself to him so I broke his arm. At least I think so."

"Relax." he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "We'll talk more when we get back to base."

Hope nodded. "You're okay, right? Did the Rezecos hurt you?"

"No. I know how they fight and how they work. I know what makes them tick but I didn't get to capture one of them." He took out his badge. "Power down."

Arrow's suit vanished off his body and Hope did the same.

"Evan needs to put cooling vents in these suits..." she said, wiping her brow.

"I know how you feel. You better cool yourself down then." he said, extending his hand. "Come on. I'll get us back to base."

She took his hand and nodded. Arrow presses a button on his badge and they teleported away.

~!~!~!~

Both teams regrouped back at HQ and debriefed what had happened separately to Silas and they soon met back in the containment room. Saphira sat in a chair handcuffed for the moment while Hope sat on the desk by the chair. Dakoda leaned himself against the wall while Arrow looked down at the snow leopard, his arms crossed.

"You do know I can very easily break out of these, right?" said Saphira.

"And if they are tampered with at all those cuffs will send the force of at least two tasers through your body." said Arrow.

"So I wouldn't try anything." said Hope.

There was silence before Saphira smirked. "…there are three pens in the pencil holder on the desk and if I wanted to, I could send each of them into your ears straight to your brains."

"Then no one would be able to uncuff you." said Arrow.

"I'd find a way."

"There's only one way out of this room and you'd be stopped pretty quickly." said Dakoda.

"Can't blame a girl for trying, hm?" she grinned. "A little thank you would of have been nice, Dakoda."

"When we catch this guy THEN I'll thank you. Now let me see if I can get this straight." started Dakoda. "At the same time me and Saphira were fighting Damien, you and Hope found him down in the sewers, Arrow?"

"Correct. And the one you fought wasn't really Damien but a raccoon?"

"One of them must be a fake." said the wolf.

Hope thought. "Well from what you told me, the fake must have been the one you and Saphira fought, Dakoda. The one I fought was working some weird supernatural stuff. Like he teleported me to another dimension to—"

"Prove yourself." finished Saphira.

"Yeah, I think I broke his arm but he kept—"

"Teleporting. That's his signature." said the snow leopard. "Crossbow gun, right?"

"Whoever he is, he must have some sort of item that allows him teleporting himself and other people to other dimensions." said Arrow. "Now how do you know him?"

Saphira gave an uneasy glance to three of them. "….because he's the one who killed my parents."

Dakoda and Arrow gave each other a look.

"If you want the full story, that's for another time." She started. "All you need to know is that he is a very dangerous assassin that Larcen and I have been chasing for nearly a year. And he's been right under our noses."

"You mean to tell me you've been working alongside him with your little black cloak society and you didn't know?" asked Dakoda who then scoffed. "Sorry, I find that a little hard to believe."

"Those black cloaks are a symbol of the Legion and Larcen and I are the top two ranked. I know there are more but we've never met them. Right now, for sure, I know it's now me, my brother Larcen, Damien, the raccoon we fought on the train, and their leader: Xantos."

"Xantos?" asked Hope.

"No one's ever seen him. All we've seen is a computer screen with a talking skull and a distorted voice. We only joined to help find the one responsible for our parent's death."

"And now they just left you behind to get captured for the bait and switch." said Dakoda. "Making you, dare I say expendable?"

"Then let me help you." she said.

"Absolutely not." said Arrow almost immediately.

"We've been wrong this entire time." started Saphira. "The ONLY reason we joined was to find Damien but we know where he is and we WILL bring him to justice."

"By becoming Agents?" asked Hope.

"All I want is my big brother back and Damien locked away for good. I'm no good to them and it's like the phrase goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"How can we trust you?" asked Dakoda.

"If we give you one of the suits, you could just take it and leave." said Arrow, crossing his arms.

"I think I handled myself pretty well out in the field." she said with a smirk.

Dakoda shook his head. "One time in the field an agent does not make."

"You so sure?" said Arrow, looking to him. "WHY should we even think of putting you on this team?"

"You've got a tech guy for right here; you NEED a techie on the field." she said. "Not just any techie, a skilled hacker at that. Give me less than five minutes and I'll have this place playing Gangnam Style on the intercom. Plus, I know what the Legion's plans are and I know how they operate. When it comes to family, I will do whatever it takes for me to protect Larcen and he will do the same for me. Not to mention I know those streets. You'll need the mind of a criminal to UNDERSTAND a criminal. You have every right to NOT trust me because of how things are playing out but I am a valuable asset for any team I'm on. I'm the Queen on any chessboard I'm put on and I can back up what I say if I'm given the chance."

Hope looked to Arrow. "She does make some pretty valid points."

"You need my help as I need yours." said the snow leopard. "You may be thinking this is part of their plans, maybe it is, but I have my own agenda and it has nothing to do with them. Let me prove myself."

Arrow took a moment to think and closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he looked her right in the eyes as he walked over and deactivated her handcuffs.

"While you make good points, it doesn't change the trust we could give you." he said. "If you are truly sincere about wanting to help us, then we can't deny you taking the exam. But until we can trust you, you will still have your ankle collar."

"Wait, we're giving her the chance?" asked Dakoda.

"I think we should." said Hope.

Dakoda looked to both Arrow and Hope and sighed. "...alright then. You're the boss."

"Aww, not happy to be spending more time with me?" giggled the snow leopard. "Or am I still gonna stay in the card?"

"Since you're still under Dee's supervision, she'll be staying with you." said Arrow.

"Wait what?" said both Dakoda and Saphira at the same time.

"Uhh…anyone else?" asked Saphira. "Hope?"

"Me? Uhh…"

"I don't get a choice do I?" said Salphira.

Arrow chuckled. "Not really."

"What?" asked Dakoda. "It's not like I snore all th—"

"He does." interrupted the porcupine. "We'll see when we can set up the Exam again. But I will be very clear. If you in any way attempt to screw us over, it's straight in the card and any hopes of finding Damien will be left to us."

"You don't intimidate me." said Saphira.

Arrow was turning to leave but smirked lightly. "You haven't seen anything yet."


	4. Trust: Dakoda

**SPACE PATROL BETA: MISSION ZERO  
CHAPTER 4: Trust  
WRITTEN AND EDITED BY ZAK KAYES AND JULIE WELCH  
CHARACTERS BELONG TO SASSYNEKOBABYGURL830 AND FLAMEAMIGO619**

_This is Lieutenant Dakoda Allen Weston, Space Patrol Beta Black Agent, Log 218. I realize I haven't done these in about roughly a week so I may have some filling in to do. This past week has served two purposes. For one, I have finally got my Beta Badge back. I wasn't expecting it to take so long but I realize it was a little too powerful for me when I first got it. My Advanced Combat Armor has been finely tuned since then. It's funny actually, some kid at the mall I was protecting thought I was a Power Ranger. Last I checked we aren't Power Rangers; we're Agents. I don't like Power Rangers. I couldn't get into them when I was a kid so…yeah, too much for his "Ranger Program". The second interesting thing, we have a new Blue Agent: Hope Markey. Exactly what can I say other than…well, I know next to nothing about her. Arrow told me her parents died, she's a swords master, she can control electricity, and she's umm…how do I put this nicely? She's cocky. I remember when I used to be that cocky when I first got my Badge. But times have changed. I know that Arrow's taken a liking to her, I think that's great in all but things just don't feel right. She's got a LOT of training to do. It can get just a tiny bit irritating but hey, the jury is still out on this one. Sooner or later either I or Arrow will figure out her story. And hey, if anyone's gonna show her the ropes, it SHOULD be me. But I digress._

_There's someone else here that's worth mentioning: Saphira Kross. We apprehended her at the Bank a while ago. Apparently she and her brother, Larcen, are a part of some group called the Legion. I don't know whether or not they're some sort of terrorist group but Saphira's agreed to help us. She's well…something. She's out right now doing some sparring with Hope. Thanks to her, we're learning more about the Legion and what we can do to stop them. She's hell-bent on capturing this dingo named Damien. She also claims she's going to do whatever it takes to get her brother on her side to find Damien. I admire her passion and dedication but she's a former thief. How exactly can I trust her? I'm gonna keep a close eye on her during her Exam tomorrow. Once she becomes SPB Yellow, she will be under my eye. As for Hope, I trust Arrow but sooner or later, she and I are gonna have a serious talk._

~!~!~!~

It was a good dream, at least from what he could remember. Dakoda's eyes opened and he rolled around in the sheets of his bed, looking at his alarm clock. It hadn't even gone off. He yawned and sat up before looking at the time.

"…shit."

He got up and went to get a fresh set of clothes. He was a little too lazy to take a proper shower so he put on deodorant and put his Beta Badge in his vest. The wolf was grateful he lived close by to the Space Patrol Beta HQ. Jogging over, he ignored the chilly autumn air. Pretty soon it would be winter…and pretty soon it would be Christmas, his favorite time of the year.

As he made his way into the HQ, he opened up his Badge and read a text from Evan, telling him to go down to the Training Area. He remembered: Saphira was taking the Agent Entrance Exam. Once he made it down to the Training Area, he exited the elevator and walked to the back of the room. Hope stood on the sidelines, watching Saphira spin kick a cadet into the wall.

"She's doing really good." said Hope, her arms crossed.

Dakoda joined, his hands crossed behind his back. Looking to the timer, he nodded as Saphira finished.

"Four minutes and twenty nine seconds." he said.

"Looks like she just barely beat Hope's record." the otter said on the side through the computer.

Hope smiled. "Not bad." She then turned her head to see Dakoda. "Oh, good morning Dakoda."

"Morning." the wolf said with a nod, watching the snow leopard get a drink.

"She's got potential, despite what she's been through." said Hope. "She's taking this pretty serious, like a routine."

"Good. Training isn't to be taken lightly."

After taking a little break to stretch, Saphira put the blasters down and walked over to Hope and Dakoda.

"Thanks for the workout; it's better than a bunch of standup karate dolls." She said. She looked behind Dakoda and tilted her head. "I thought Arrow said he would be watching over my training."

The wolf blinked. "...he didn't show up for the training? That isn't like him."

"Arrow got here earlier this morning and told me he was responding to a disturbance by the quarry on the east side." said Evan.

"...oh boy." said Dakoda, crossing his arms.

"Late night at the club?" asked Hope.

"You should have woken up earlier, lazy bones." remarked Evan.

"I had a rough night." the wolf said bluntly. "Evan, has he reported back to you at all?"

"No, actually." he said. "He's been pretty silent this past hour and a half. I tried communicating but I got nothing."

Dakoda sighed and turned. "I knew it."

Hope blinked. "Hey, where are you going?"

"Dakoda, you can't just go in there alone!" said Evan.

"If they captured Arrow on their own, then a lone wolf like you is gonna get caught just easily." said Saphira.

"Then they won't be expecting back up so quickly." said Dakoda.

"Uhh...mind if I ask who's they?" asked Hope.

"...Bloodskins." started Dakoda. "They're a dangerous species of feral mining mole people. The Rezeco's aren't the only species we keep under surveillance. Bloodskins are VERY good at digging and a few months ago, we uncovered their tunnel system all under Payton City. They're very fast, very violent, and most important of all: they're intelligent."

"So that's what Arrow was looking up the other day…" Hope mused to herself.

"Evan's right Dakoda." said Saphira. "You can't fight them alone. I'll come with you."

"Sadly Saphira, you've already got an assignment." said Evan. "Report to my sector for briefing."

Saphira watched as Dakoda made his way to the elevator. Hope caught up quickly with the wolf and tried to grab his arm.

"I'm coming with you." said Hope. "You can't just go in there by yourself."

"Try me." said the wolf. "The last thing I need, no offense, is a rookie slowing me down. "

Dakoda swiped his card to summon the elevator and he stepped through, closing it before Hope could get in. She blinked and rolled her eyes before heading downstairs the manual way. The wolf made his way out quickly to the garage area. Dakoda realized this wasn't the first time he had to save Arrow. All through high school, Dakoda often got Arrow out of tight jams but he had never had to rescue Arrow in this sort of situation. As he made his way to his SUV in the garage area, he opened up his badge and then opened the car door.

"Arrow, I know you're there somewhere. Come in!"

No reply came from the other end except static. As Dakoda got into the car, he saw the other door open and Hope climbed inside, buckling up. She held both her katana sheaths in her lap.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Well could you maybe drop me off at a sushi market? I'm starving." Dakoda said nothing. "Kidding. Whether you like it or not, someone's got to watch your back, right?"

"You ever think disobeying orders is why you're only given small missions, Markey? I don't need your help to get Arrow out."

Hope's ears laid back. "Well do you expect me to just sit on the sidelines?"

"Yes."

"This is about a friend who may be in danger, Dakoda." she started. "If I'm a burden to you, I'm sorry. But I can help. It doesn't hurt to have a second set of eyes watching you. The way you made the Bloodskins sound, can you really take them all on by yourself? I'm not a little kid. I'm quick on my feet and I don't think Arrow would take me on missions with him if I wasn't."

The two stared at one another before Dakoda looked in front of him and turned on the engine, buckling up.

"…don't disappoint me, Markey."

"Yes, sir."

~!~!~!~

Deep down in the Bloodskin tunnels, a figure laid chained up in the middle of one of the caverns. There were chains hooked to parts of the wall and with little visibility due to terrible lighting. The figure's ear twitched; he could make out the sounds of keys jingling and the door opening. He slowly raised his head and he could make out the silhouette of a figure in front of him. The creature flipped a switch and a light came on from above, illuminating a chained and captured Arrow Lite. He looked up to his captor, Larcen. Larcen went to grab a chair and sat it down in front of Arrow, taking off the duct tape from his mouth.

"There that's better." said Arrow with a light smirk. "Hello."

"You shouldn't have come here, Lite." said Larcen.

"Ah, couldn't really help it. I'm a curious guy, Larcen; more curious then a cat sometimes."

The snow leopard narrowed his eyes. "What have you done to my sister?"

"Saphira? Don't worry, she's in good hands." Arrow said with a smile, ignoring his situation. "I had to miss part of her exam. But it was worth it. I finally get to meet you."

"You're daft. You have no idea who you're dealing with, Lite."

Arrow blinked. "Daft? You know I've been called a lot of things but that's a nice change. Just one query, do you know what's going on in these tunnels?"

"It's none of my business and I could really—"

"Toxic waste. They've been smuggling, among other things I could have field day reporting on, toxic waste barrels from the power plant. Now what would a primal species like the Bloodskins want with toxic waste? Don't you find it suspicious that they're using this city wide tunnel system for smuggling?"

"I think you should keep your nose out of things that aren't your concern."

"I'm Space Patrol Beta; it's my job to have my nose in other people's businesses."

Larcen rolled his eyes and stood up. "Whatever Xantos wants from you, he can have it."

Arrow watched him near the door before he smirked a little. "We found Damien."

Larcen had his hand on the door before turning his head slightly. "…what?"

"My partner fought against him in the sewers a while ago. Apparently, he's working for the Legion."

"W-what? You're lying." Larcen turned around, going back to Arrow.

Arrow rolled his eyes. "Why would I waste my time telling you lies? Thanks to your sister, we know who we're going up against and who we have to find."

"I would have known if Damien was in our group. I know everyone in the Legion!"

"Well I guess you didn't know everyone. With Saphira's help, we're gonna take them down."

"…she's an Agent?"

Arrow nodded. "Once she captures her first criminal, she will officially become one."

Larcen narrowed his eyes, kneeling in front of him. "All I want is my sister back in one piece, no drama."

"Is that all? Then she's yours. She's not a prisoner. We needed information from here and in exchange, she's helping us. But she's searching for you and logically, if you joined us, you could find Damien together and you can help us take down the Legion."

"Yeah you talk logically, but what's in it for me?"

"I can promise you that she will be safe and that together we're gonna put a stop to them."

Larcen looked at Arrow, eyes narrowed…yet he looked uncertain. He was about to speak again until Larcen turned his head to the sound of an unknown language. Arrow assumed it was the Bloodskins. He could make out a Bloodskin opening the door and pointing at Arrow. The porcupine made no sudden movements but Larcen shook his head and said something in an unknown language. Arrow raised an eyebrow as the Bloodskin looked at Larcen then Arrow then Larcen again and left.

"Apparently, some of your friends stopped by to say hello." said Larcen. "You'll be seeing them…and I think you and I will meet again somewhere down the road."

"It might be sooner than you think. Think about my offer."

Larcen looked away and then left the room, closing the door behind him.

~!~!~!~

There was one thing that Dakoda despised more then criminals…and that was traffic; lots and lots of traffic. He would have turned on the sirens but by the time the thought had occurred, there was too much congestion in the traffic. He honked the horn, hoping to get the other car's attention.

"You got a green light asshole, move it!" he yelled.

Leaning back in his seat, he took a breath and looked back at his badge, eyeing the GPS. Hope couldn't help but snicker at Dakoda's road rage. He always seemed calm when it came to training but she didn't know he could be easily frustrated. Dakoda looked to Hope and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm glad you think this is funny." he said.

"I find it quite amusing, thanks." she said with a light smirk.

"Do you think this is some sort of game?"

Hope blinked. "Hmm? Well no."

The cars had begun to move and Dakoda turned on the engine, getting into the next lane.

"You sure act like it." he started. "I've been observing some of your past missions and your cockiness is starting to irritate me. See, I used to be like that but then I realized that this is NOT a game. People's lives are at stake here and in particular, right now, Arrow's."

She pouted. "I am not cocky. This isn't a game to me. You don't think I know lives are at stake? I'm worried about him too Dakoda."

"You're always trying to cling to him and prove something to him." he said. "Just because you rescued him one or two times doesn't make you any better than us, so you need to realize your place is behind me and Arrow. NOT above me."

She crossed her arms. "I had a feeling something was up with you. I'm not better than anyone and I'm not trying to be. I know you're second in command and I respect that but I am not trying to take your place."

The SUV came to another red light and Dakoda sighed.

"I take my job seriously Markey. I earned my spot. Yours was handed to you." he said.

"Excuse me?" she said, glaring at the wolf. "If I recall, YOU were the one who told Arrow about me! YOU dragged Arrow to the club that night! I am trying to make something of myself in this city and I am not trying to out shine anyone! "

"That's only because Silas told me to." he said. "If I had my way, you wouldn't even be an Agent right now. You'd be earning your spot just like all the other people that work there."

"But I am not trying to be cocky. I don't intend to come across like that."

"...cockiness gets to us when we first start out."

Once more, the SUV ran into traffic. The wolf was tempted to honk the horn but he took in a breath, cursed under it, and looked ahead of traffic. It wasn't too bad this time.

"Okay, just a few more blocks." he said to himself. He turned to Hope and raised an eyebrow. "You can stop pouting."

"Then can I ask something?"

Dakoda leaned back in his seat. "That depends on what it is."

"Why did you join Space Patrol Beta?"

There was silence for a few moments before Dakoda spoke again.

"It's for the same reason Arrow did. We both knew we were capable of helping others. I knew that from the start. He and I always watched action movies together, almost every weekend before I left. I guess it was sort of a dream of mine to be a hero like in the movies. So when I graduated, I went straight to SPB and applied for an internship there. I wasn't really expecting Evan to be there though but I got to work alongside him and help as a weapons tester."

"Were you three that close in high school?" she asked.

"I'd say we were pretty tight. It just sucks that we didn't graduate at the same time. I think if I had stuck around, maybe I could have helped Arrow out more. But anyways, I oversaw Evan make the Beta Badges and our ACA and I was supposed to be SPB Red. Evan had me trying out SPB Black but..." he pointed to his eye. "It didn't go as planned."

Hope's ears went back. It didn't take her long to figure out what had happened.

"I can see fine now, it took some time getting used to though." he continued. "I found Arrow sometime after I got my eye fixed. That day Evan was going to make me SPB Red...then Silas just gave it Arrow. He had no formal training in SPB yet he passed the exam and caught his first criminal before I had my say in it. It should have been me. Silas made Arrow the leader and pushed me onto the sidelines when clearly I am the more experienced, more rational, and more dedicated Agent. You and Saphira got your Badges handed down to you almost immediately. I realize you have SOME experience but it's going to take a lot more if you want to be on my level."

Hope paused as she spotted the quarry in the distance. "I see know. Can I reassure you on something?"

"If you want." he said.

"I can understand where you are coming from but I have no intention to take your spot. I am not walking about acting I'm all hot shit. For once in my life, ever since my parents passed, I feel hope and I feel happy. I didn't mean to take any sort of spotlight away from you. I'm doing the best I can to show you, Evan, Silas, and Arrow that I am worthy of being an Agent. I know my place and I'm not trying to come in between you and Arrow. I took this job to save people because I want to prove to myself I can have purpose in my life. My parents died when I was young and it still stings to think about them. But with SPB, I will do my best to help, serve, and protect, alright?"

With the two finally arriving at the entrance to the quarry, Dakoda turned off the engine and looked at her.

"Then watch my six." he said. "You watch mine, I watch yours."

"Gotcha."

They both exited the SUV after the engine was turned off and went to the trunk where Dakoda kept the weapons. The wolf pulled out his Badge while also opening the trunk.

"We just got to the quarry, Evan. If we're not back in less than 30 minutes, send backup."

"Got it." said the otter. "Good luck."

Dakoda grabbed his Meta Blitzer and checked the ammo for it, looking at Hope who had strapped both sheaths to her back. The quarry featured a big building surrounded by machinery, drills, and an entrance to the tunnel system. There was an eerie silence as Dakoda and Hope made their way to the entrance gates. The doors were already half open with no one working in the gate control box. Dakoda powered up his Blitzer while Hope pulled out one of her katanas.

"...these quarries are supposed to filled with activity." he said.

"You think they knew we were coming?"

"Given the time frame, it's possible." He made his way further into the main area. "We'll head for the main tunnel and work our way down following the signal from Arrow's Beta Badge. Just stick close to me."

Hope nodded and cautiously watched her surroundings until she stopped.

"Dakoda." she said, raising her katana. "I smell something close by."

"What is it?" he asked.

Before Hope could speak, they suddenly heard a screech come from the building. They were suddenly swarmed by Bloodskins who had appeared from behind the machinery. Some held weird looking blasters and some held pick axes. Dakoda and Hope froze as they became surrounded by Bloodskins. They spoke in a language that Dakoda didn't recognize and he turned to Hope, powering down his Meta Blitzer.

"No sudden movements." he said.

"I don't think we have a choice." she said, putting away her katana and putting her hands up.

But what they didn't see was Dakoda pressing a button on his badge, activating a distress signal.

~!~!~!~

Even though he was blindfolded, Dakoda was taking into account every smell, step, and sound that occurred while the Bloodskins took him and Hope through the tunnels. He recalled a previous situation overseas that he had been in and made sure to stay close to Hope. After going through a series of tunnels, the two ended up in a dungeon area with a big cell guarded by two Bloodskins. Both of them were thrown in with their blindfolds taken off. Why they hadn't been handcuffed they didn't know.

Inside of the cell, Arrow sat on one of the benches. The cell was rather big, big enough for five people with a window on the side. Arrow had his back to the others looking out said window.

"…I guess you guys didn't get my text fast enough?" he said.

Hope blinked. "What text?

Dakoda looked down at his beeping badge and answered it.

"Guys, get out of there! It's a trap!" said Evan; face popping up past some static. "…oh. Hey guys!"

Dakoda face palmed and sighed. "…that's good timing on your part, buddy."

Hope leaned against the wall, looking at her weapons on the table outside the cell. "Well at least we tried, right? Those guys are freaky looking."

"I don't know if getting caught was part of your plan or not." said Arrow. "But there's more going on down here then I realized."

"Like?" asked the wolf.

Arrow motioned his head to the window. "See for yourself."

Dakoda and Hope walked over and their eyes widened at the sight. Below them was what looked like an underground stands were filled with aliens and near the upper center was a guarded platform where a bigger Bloodskin with a crown sat in a makeshift throne. In the main part of the arena, two aliens were busy wrestling with one another.

"Tell me that's not what I think it is." she said, looking down at the sights.

"I could tell you we're all high and just staring at a toaster." said Arrow, moving away as he opened his badge. "I don't think that would help."

"They didn't take your badge?" she asked.

"No. They're letting us keep them for some reason." said Dakoda. "Here I thought they were intelligent. But how come we didn't know about this place?"

"This place looks like it's been around for quite some time." said Arrow. "They've probably built tunnels that aren't on the schematics."

"But an underground fighting league?" asked the wolf.

Arrow shook his head. "Worse. I thought the people who set up cock fights or dog fights were bad. This is taking things to a different level."

"Alien fighting." said the feline. She then suddenly looked to Dakoda and Arrow. "Wait…why are we here?"

One of the Bloodskins came over and pulled a lever by the door, opening the floor panels in the dungeon. The three plummeted through and crashed on the arena floor. Upon landing, the crowd roared and cheered in approval. Arrow landed by one of the deformed carcasses that hadn't been cleaned up. He simply froze and stared at it.

"…that's okay, I wasn't hungry tonight anyway." he said.

Dakoda looked back and saw his Meta Blitzer and Hope's katanas land next to them.

"Why would they give us our weapons?" asked Dakoda.

Hope grabbed both the sheaths and attached them to her back. "This is a fighting ring…so that means…."

The three looked up to the platform where the leader sat. The crowd became hushed as the leader looked down and raised his hand.

"GOLA! GOLI! FIGHT!" he said in English.

"What's that like ready, set, fight?" asked Dakoda.

The crowd burst into cheers as two massive golem creatures appeared from the stands and leaped down onto the floor in front of the three.

"Well that's better than what I thought they were going to do." said Arrow.

"We have to fight them, don't we?" asked Hope, drawing one of her swords.

"That's the part I'm looking forward to!" said Dakoda with a smirk.

He cocked his Meta Blitzer and charged in for a blast but he was punched back by Goli. Dakoda collided with Arrow and Hope and they fell down. They regrouped and Arrow stood up, rubbing his palms and extended both, shooting blasts of fire at the golems. The fire though had no effect, even though it pushed them back. Hope tried shooting electricity at them but it had no effect as well.

"It's these days I'm glad I played Pokemon." said Dakoda.

"How is that going to help us?" asked Hope.

"Electric and fire aren't very effective against rock types." said Dakoda. "We need more help."

"If I had any signal down here, I'd send in a whole unit." said Arrow. "It's kill or be killed down here."

Gali and Goli stalked the trio but suddenly, the sound of blaster shoots echoed in the room. The blasts landed on the two golem's chest and made them stumble back. Arrow turned to see Saphira standing on one of the higher platforms with her Delta Viper.

"Didn't invite me to the party?" she said.

"You didn't get our invitations in time!" said Arrow.

Saphira smirked. "Evan is sending another squad." She jumped down and landed beside them. "You thought I was leaving, didn't you?"

"Not at all." said Arrow. "Care to help us out?"

'Hmm, I'll have to check my schedule." said Saphira. "Well I could move that—"

"Saphira!" said Dakoda, almost in a bark.

"If these guys want a show, we'll give them one." said Arrow, raising his Badge." READY!"

Hope, Dakoda, and Saphira drew their Badges and activated them. "READY!"

"SUIT UP!" they all said, gaining their suits.

"Dakoda, Hope, you handle Gali." said Arrow. "We'll handle Goli."

"Right." said Dakoda, powering up his Meta Blitzer.

"On it!" said Hope, drawing one of her katanas.

Arrow looked to Saphira and summoned his Flambard. "He must have pressure points on his body. Target them and give me some spots to strike."

"Any specifics?" she asked, powering up her Delta Viper. "Some are different than others."

"Go for the shoulders." he said.

Saphira nodded and Arrow leapt up, slicing into Goli's face to distract him. He ran around the golem, attacking his knees to find a clear weak spot. Saphira raised her Delta Viper and pressed a button on the side, charging up some explosive rounds. She dodged wild strikes and shot at the shoulder joint. The rounds were able to at least crack the armor on his shoulders. Goli was able to catch Arrow in his hand, trying to smash him into the wall but Saphira was a little quicker. She used her telekinesis to make his head armor start to shrink, almost crushing his head, Goli let out a scream of pain, trying to stop the head armor from shrinking.

"Nice trick." said Arrow, getting to his feet.

"Break the armor open and I'll make his head shrink." she said.

The porcupine shook his head. "No. We don't kill. We contain. Crack his armor!"

Saphira raised her hand and used her telekinesis to break a chunk of wall out and shape it into a pick axe. She put it in her hand and charged, hacking away at his chest plate. Arrow shot out timed bursts of fire that stopped Goli's attacks.

"Will that work?" she said.

"…that will." said Arrow.

Arrow moved his hand along his Flambard, charging it up and letting out a roar as one swift slice shattered the armor on Goli's body. Saphira watched as Arrow summoned his Chakrams and positioned them in front of him, grabbing his containment blaster.

"HELIX STORM!" he yelled. "CONTAINMENT BLAST!"

The blast passed through the Chakrams and engulfed Goli, turning him into a card.

"Well that works too." said the snow leopard.

"One down." said Arrow. "Go and help the others."

Saphira nodded and turned to see Hope being flung to the wall. Gali held a gladiator shield in her right hand and a bare left fist that Dakoda dodged easily. He kept firing his own explosive rounds into Gali but they were having little effect on the shield.

"Damn it, that shield's too powerful." said the wolf.

Hope rolled behind Gali and drew her other katana, sliding them across one another to charge up electricity. She leapt up and stabbed both her blades into the exposed skin on Gali's back. The golem let out a roar and Saphira zoomed in, using her telekinesis to disarm Gali and thwack her with her own shield. Hope turned to see an unarmed and unarmored golem leaping off the stands, attempting to stampede Dakoda.

"CONTAINMENT SLASH!" yelled Hope.

She charged and pressed a button on both her katanas. She dealt seven strikes on his chest on the seventh, plunged both swords through the golem's chest, turning him into a card.

"Guns were never my thing anyway." she said, flipping her katanas.

Dakoda pressed a button on the side of his Meta Blitzer that produced a second gun hole beneath the first. He cocked the Meta Blitzer and an energy ball began to charge on the end. Through his visor, a target crosshair appeared and locked on Gali.

"Target locked!" he said. "META STORM! CONTAINMENT BLAST!"

The energy ball rocketed out and upon contact, wrapped Gali in a containment field and turned it into a card. Dakoda had skidded back due to recoil. All through the fight, the audience had split along with the Bloodskins leader. The four regrouped in the middle and looked around.

"They cleared out pretty quick." said Saphira, and then looking to Dakoda. "You alright?"

"Yep." said the wolf. "Suit's working like a charm."

"I'm impressed." said Saphira. "I could get used to it."

"Let's get back to base then." said Arrow. "We can't teleport with bad reception."

"Unless you want to end up inside out." said Dakoda with a smirk.

~!~!~!~

Arrow didn't usually have visitors over at his apartment but this was a different occasion. For the first time in quite a long time, he had a group of friends he could invite over for casual things that friends would do. He went into the kitchen area and looked over at Hope conversing with Dakoda and Saphira. The snow leopard seemed to be fitting in with the two and the same for Hope with the others.

He was worried there would be arguing but there was more laughter and crude jokes he would expect from a bunch of high school friends. (To be fair, Dakoda was the one making most of them.) She had only just finished explaining what had happened while Dakoda and Hope were looking for Arrow. He returned from the kitchen with four root beer bottles and sat next to Hope. Dakoda was in the other chair next to Saphira. Arrow handed the others their bottles.

"Well, all in all, I'd say that was a successful mission." said the porcupine as he raised his bottle. "And now a toast: to us and the new SPB Yellow, Saphira."

"To us and newbie." said Hope with her bottle raised.

"Technically you're not a newbie anymore." said Saphira with a giggle as she raised her bottle. "But I shall take this position with stride."

The four clinked their bottles and chugged a bit before they each got comfortable.

"So let me get this straight." said Dakoda. "How is it that SPB didn't know about a toxic waste smuggling operation AND an underground alien fighting league?"

"From what I remember it was done pretty simply." said Saphira. "You know the loading docks and the pier? To civilians there is only two ways to get the cargo into slots. With the Bloodskins, there is the third way into the cargo holding facility. The crew started getting lazy over the years so they stopped looking in the crates. That way it's easier to smuggle in the aliens."

"And you know this…how?" asked Dakoda.

"Because, I assisted them a few months ago." said Saphira as she took a swig of her soda.

"This is gonna give the Immigration department a field day." said Arrow, his arms crossed as he sipped lightly. "Your brother was there, Saphira."

Saphira's ears perked. "He was?" She cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Um, was he okay?"

Arrow nodded lightly. "He was quiet. He had something to do with me getting captured."

"That's not like him capturing civilians." she replied. "…I mean, Agents. Sorry."

"He's pretty determined to get to you." he continued. "With him still working for the Legion, we need to be on our guard. You may be the only one getting him on our side."

"And make HIM an Agent too?" asked Dakoda.

Arrow shook his head. "Not exactly…"

"Larcen doesn't like labels like that." said Saphira. "What puzzles me is kidnapping. He swore on his life to never kidnap."

"Do you think someone forced him to?" asked Hope.

"It's possible but he knows better." replied Saphira. "It goes against what he stands for."

"I've seen people do a lot of things under pressure." said Arrow. "This Xantos guy is pulling all the strings, I know it."

"You think he's connected to the Bloodskins?" asked the wolf.

The porcupine crossed his arms. "We need proof but call it a hunch; something seems very fishy about this."

"I do know." said Saphira. "Why do you think the Bloodskins have their own 3rd cargo entry way?"

"...we need to find this guy." said Arrow. "If we can find Larcen, we can find Xantos."

"That's not gonna be easy as a group." said Saphira. "If anyone can talk to Larcen and reason with him. It's me."

"You think you'll be able to convince him?" asked Arrow.

"I can try that's all I can say on it." replied the snow leopard. "He is very protective of me and headstrong. He is not gonna be a part of the Legion if he knows the truth now."

"Do you think it's possible to maybe trap him in one of the containment cards?" asked Hope.

"Only as a last resort." said Arrow, looking to Saphira. "...would you be able to pull it off, Saphira?"

"I'd like to talk to him alone to see if I can do it without trapping him." she said.

"Your choice then." said Dakoda.

"But I want one of you there in disguise just in case." she continued. "I'll meet him somewhere public and if I have to capture him, I will. One thing...can two people get captured in one card?"

"It's possible, yes." said Arrow.

"Ok, then that's plane B." said Saphira. "I get contained with my brother to talk if he starts to not listen."

"That settles that then." said Dakoda. He took his bottle and stood up.

"Not gonna stick around?" asked Arrow.

"Eh…I got some stuff to do." He said.

Saphira stood up as well. "Yeah, I think I'm gonna turn in early as well."

Dakoda nodded and went over to the door, opening it for her. "I'll walk you back to base."

"Oh thank you." she smiled.

"You kids behave." said Dakoda with a smirk at Arrow and Hope.

Arrow rolled his eyes and just waved at him before looking at Hope.

"Is it alright if I spend the night?" she asked.

The porcupine smiled. "Sure. Don't you have your own apartment?"

"I do. But…I don't really feel like sleeping by myself tonight."

"…oh, well I suppose that will be alright."

"Thanks."

Outside, Dakoda and Saphira made it to the elevator and Dakoda pressed the button to bring it up. She fixed her hoody and yawned a bit.

"Hey Saphira?" asked Dakoda.

"Hmm? Yes Dakoda?"

"Listen um...would you wanna come back to my place? The night's still young and I'd like company to last more than a night."

Her ears perked up and she lightly smirked. "Oh. Um…okay, is it clean from the last time I was there?"

The wolf rolled his eyes. "Yes and I didn't use fabreeze or any of that stuff. It's clean. I even did the laundry."

Saphira nodded. "Alright then."

"Not like a date or anything. I mean, I could ask you out any time I wanted of course but I figured you were busy."

She giggled at the comment. "You're cute Dakoda, come on. I say…lets rent a movie to watch?"

"You sure you're not gonna get bored of it? I know you could fall asleep on me at any time though."

The elevator dinged and they both stepped through.

"Don't push your luck, wolf boy." she grinned.

~!~!~!~

At the billiards bar, a male snow leopard entered wearing a dark green hoody. Nobody really bothered to talk to him or approach him. He went up to the second floor with a martini. Even though the place had only opened a few months ago, he had been a regular there. In there, no one knew who he was and this was the first time in a while. With the events of earlier that day on his mind, Larcen felt conflicted. Xantos had kicked Saphira out but she was now an Agent, Damien was revealed to be a member of the Legion, and Arrow's offer was still on the table. Sitting back in his seat, he looked down at some of the people playing billiards. His ear twitched and he turned to see a raccoon walk over to the seat across from him, sitting down. She wore a purple hoody, similar to his.

"I haven't seen you here in a while, hun." she said.

"Been busy." he replied.

"I'm sure Xantos has kept you like that but I don't think you should stress yourself." she smiled. "Are you going to be staying for long?"

"Finishing my drink then leaving."

"Not very social tonight, I see."

"…did you know that Damien was a part of the Legion, Ivy?"

"Do you trust my word?"

Larcen nodded.

"Then yes, I do know. He works directly under Xantos as his right hand guy. I rarely ever see him but he's a creep."

"He's the one, the one I was telling you about. I don't know what Xantos has truly planned for us all but if he views my sister as expendable and thinks I will EVER work alongside the person who murdered our parents, he has another thing coming. I quit."

Ivory looked down at his hand and lightly put hers on his. "Don't do something you'll regret, Larcen. We're snipers. Anger is what breaks our focus. It's what makes us weak. "

Larcen crossed his arms lightly and dug into his hoody pocket, pulling out an envelope with a device inside. He put it on the table and pushed it to her.

"…you finished it?"

He nodded, taking a sip. "I'm no computer expert. Saphira left instructions that I followed. It works. I don't care what you use the Dragon Virus for but if EITHER of you harm Saphira in way, shape, or form, you'll have me to answer to."

Ivory looked at the envelope and pocketed it, looking at him.

"I trust you, Larcen. I've known you for over 2 years." she said as she stood up. "But if you have to pick a side, you don't want to go against me."

"And if I have to?" he said, quick to stand up as well.

"…you already know."


	5. Trust: Saphira

While Dakoda and Hope left to go and find Arrow, Saphira made her way to the other elevator, sliding a keycard through and stepping inside once the elevator came up.

"Sector E." she said.

As it made its way downstairs, Saphira crossed her arms and thought about the events after getting captured. She didn't know if being captured was a part of Xantos' plan but she knew, unlike Larcen, she wanted to help people. She and her brother had done their own vigilante work so being an Agent, from her own perspective, this was the same thing. When the elevator opened, she made her way straight back to Evan's center. He spotted her and quickly typed some things up to show on the computer screen.

"So do you want to know your score or do you want to be surprised?" asked Evan.

"I'm a bit eager to know. I think I did pretty well."

Evan nodded and brought up some things on the screen. "Here's your Gun Course score: 26, 38, and 28. That's 92 out of 100 and that's a pass. You beat Hope's record in the ACT with 4:29."

She jumped up and let out a squeal of delight. After realizing what she did, she stood normally. Evan went to his shelf, pressed some buttons to open a drawer, and pulled out a Beta Badge. It was black with a yellow stripe and he handed it over to Saphira.

"Oh, I finally get one?" she asked. "Yellow? Hmm, it matches my eyes."

"You passed both parts but you're not an Agent yet."

"It's never easy is it?" she said. "What else do I have to do?"

"I'm quoting Arrow on this: A successful apprehension of a criminal as part of a field assignment."

"With the same thing you caught me with?"

Evan nodded. "Do you have any questions?"

"What exactly can you tell me about this Badge and how does it work?" she asked, looking over it. "I've seen Dakoda use it, I know its voice activated. Is there anything else?"

He nodded happily. "Well I just finished repairing it this week. We ran some tests on how much damage it could take and we discovered it's resistant to electricity."

"So if Hope shocked me, I wouldn't be affected?"

"It absorbs electrical energy but charge up too much and the whole suit overloads. Yellow was built for stealth and it's the most lightweight of the Advanced Combat Armor I've designed. However that also means it cannot take a whole lot of physical damage and as best as I tried, this one's at the bottom with taking damage."

"At least you performed damage tests on yours." she said. "With my stuff, I couldn't' afford to break it. I would just waste time."

He only smiled. "But, despite its flaws, it comes in handy for recon and invasion."

"Any special buttons I should or shouldn't push?" she asked.

He pointed to a yellow button on the side. "That's the Inviso Drive initiator. It's a mouthful, I know. It allows invisibility for 4 minutes and I've put special counter sensors to counter heat, motion, and sound, making you entirely invisible to anyone."

"I can tell you've put a lot of work into this. I'm impressed, hun."

Evan couldn't help but blush. "Y-you mean it?"

"Of course." she grinned. "I'd like to see more of what you can do. I know my way around making things but perhaps I could learn a few things from you."

"R-right, but not just yet; call it a date though?"

She smirked a bit. "…I'll think about it. I believe you have an assignment for me?"

"Right!" he nodded. "I've got two more things for you. Think of these as gifts from a brilliant mind."

"And it's not even my birthday, thank you."

He went to the wall holding weapons and picked out a redesigned Viper.

"This is SPB Yellow's primary weapon: The Delta Viper. It's basically the same as Dakoda's Meta- Blitzer with the self-recharging ammo plus laser sight for trickier shots AND it can break in half for dual wielding."

Her eyes widened as she picked up the Delta Viper. "She's a beauty, I'll give her that. I can still use my claws right?"

Evan nodded. He went to pick up a silver vest and grabbed a few things.

"I can get used to this." she said with a smile but then sighed softly. "Larcen would love it here."

He walked past her and fixed his glasses. "Come on, the last surprise is down in the garage."

Saphira nodded and Evan brought up his watch, twisting a dial on it and taking her hand, teleporting them down to the garage area. He went to the back and came back with a vehicle covered in a sheet. Saphira tilted her head and watched him.

"Arrow helped me make this little beauty." he said. "It was designed specifically for SPB Yellow. Ready?"

"Yes, show me, show me!"

Evan smiled, he hadn't seen anyone so excited to see his work. He pulled back the sheet to show off a yellow and black hover cycle.

"Funny what you can do with a few hover pads and a dirt bike." he said. "I call it the Y-Stinger. It's fuelled on self-recharging crystals, has a reserve engine, two blasters on the front, and a nitro injector. It can support up to two people and it also has an Inviso Drive as well. Only this drive can silence the engine's sound."

Her eyes grew wide. "Whoa…it's amazing!" She hugged Evan tightly and giggled. "Thank you, thank you, this is really awesome!"

"I-I do my best!" he said with a blush. "Now about your assignment: there have been some unusual power surges in the area and also there have been some complaints from parents on the food and drinks there."

"Oh wait don't tell me. The parents are complaining children are playing too much violent video games, so they want to band them?"

"Yeah, like that's really a problem for SPB. But when I talk power surges, I'm talking one spike every night at a certain time for at least the past 9 days."

"That seems odd. Is there someone not paying the electric bill or something?"

She walked over to her cycle and sat on it, her hands on the bars. Evan got onto the passenger seat and got put on his helmet.

"Well the schematics and everything seem fine but when I say spike, there's a power surge at 11:28 at night." said Evan. "It's like the power's being absorbed or something. I'm putting my money on alien."

"That seems odd. The place is usually closed at 10 at night. So what could be causing it?"

"It could be an alien, like I said. Just put your hands on the throttle and brake, there's finger pad readers there to start the engine."

She nodded and placed her finger pads onto the spots and the engine roared to life.

"Purring like a kitten." she grinned. "Let's get going then."

The otter smiled and pointed to the screen and leaned his head over. "There's the GPS. Destination: The Dungeon. "

The GPS programmed itself and produced directions.

"That works." said Saphira. "This shouldn't be TOO hard."

~!~!~!~

Although Saphira had never driven a hover cycle before, she always prided herself being on a fast learner. They traveled quickly to the B district where, in front of a parking lot, was the local arcade joint known as the Dungeon. The Y-Stinger automatically parked itself and both Saphira and Evan dismounted.

"Ah, I remember coming to this place when I was younger." he started with a smile. "I can see business is still going strong."

Saphira dismounted and raised an eyebrow, leaning against the cycle. "I haven't been to one of these since I was like...5?" She mumbled something to herself quietly after. "After Larcen got us kicked out and banned from one though..."

Evan put his helmet lightly on the seat of the Y Stinger and put his hands in his pockets. "He and you seem really close. Let's find out what this power surge is doing and if we can find the source. THEN we can have fun."

"Since our parents passed, Larcen's been my hero." she said, a hint of pain in her voice before shaking her head. "Yeah, let's find out what's so wrong with this place."

"People are so mysterious about their pasts." he said with a chuckle.

He went ahead of her and opened the door for her. Saphira smiled and pat his shoulder before stepping through and looking around. It was a one floor establishment with several arcade cabinets lined up in neat like aisles. Some cabinets featured retro games and some featured more modern games. The place seemed to have it all with a little restaurant area on the side.

Evan nodded his head in amusement. "They upgraded, I see."

"They look different than the usual arcades." she said, walking over to one of the cabinets. The place was packed with many kids and she eyed some of the kids, smiling a bit while they played.

"This is a pretty cool place, huh?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess it is." she said with a smirk. "I wouldn't mind coming back here some time."

Evan blinked. "R-really? Great! One of these weekends you and I should go on a gaming spree."

"So what should we check out first?" she interrupted.

"Oh. Umm, maybe we should talk to the arcade workers or maybe the owners?"

"Good idea." she said with a nod. She sniffed the air and turned her attention to the counter in the restraint and to the menu on the wall. "There would be a good place to start."

He nodded and looked to some of the other games before his jaw dropped at the sight of one particular cabinet. "Woah, they got Super Smash Bros Melee! THIS I got to see!"

And with that, Evan darted away. Saphira blinked and sighed, a hand on her hip. Was he doing this on purpose to test her? She shook her head and turned, almost bumping into a man.

"They just can't resist the new games." said the owner bluntly.

She nodded to him. "I had a bad feeling taking a computer whiz to an arcade wasn't a smart idea."

"Well if it keeps business up, then who's to complain right?" he said with a smile. "So what can I interest you in, little girl?"

"I am nineteen, thank you." she said with a hint of annoyance in her tone. "My partner told me there were strange power surges at night, roughly around 11:28 at night?"

There was hesitation on the man's end before he spoke but his tone quickly changed. "That's cute. Are you a little detective or something?"

On the spot, Saphira displayed her badge. "Little kids are detective's sir. I'm Saphira Kross, Space Patrol Beta Yellow Agent." She smirked, feeling power in that statement that she wasn't used to. "I'd like to speak to the manager."

"You're talking to him." He said, now annoyed by the teenager. "And unless this is important, police around here might be scaring away business."

"OH COME ON!" Evan yelled at the game to the side. "There's a reason Meta Knight is banned, you know!"

Saphira rolled her eyes, today wasn't going exactly as planned. "A-anyway, about these power surges. We've received reports of consistent power surges here for the past nine or so days. People have been saying it's coming from here."

The owner raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "Have they? Well that's odd, I'm here mostly at night tuning the cabinets and refilling the food and refreshments. As for complaints…let me guess, health and safety aren't approving of the food here? I can assure you that the newest energy drink we have is 100 percent safe."

Saphira turned her head to look over at some of the kids. Most of their eyes looked glaze and they barely seemed to move from their spots.

"These kids look like their zombies." She said with her arms crossed neatly. "Energy drinks aren't good for people."

"You kidding?" the owner said, not showing much care. "At least they're not out selling drugs or wasting time."

Saphira's eyes narrowed. "Well I wouldn't be surprised. Most kids will probably view your games as just a plus. You better hope I don't find any of that stuff here."

"W-what?" the owner said nervously. "I can assure you there have been no drug problems here unless you count me smoking a cigarette or two when no one's here."

Saphira looked back at Evan and then back at the owner. "That doesn't really answer the late night surges. At least you keep this place somewhat clean."

"YEAH!" yelled Evan, almost jumping for joy. "Ah...crap, I'm out of quarters. Looks like I'll just have to get more." He rubbed his head, actions becoming jittery. "Gotta keep playing...and playing...and playing..."

She walked over to Evan with a curious look. "Uhh Evan?"

He blinked, looking at her. "Huh? Oh. Sorry, I've got a really bad urge." he raised his cup up. "Have you tried this energy stuff? It's pretty good!"

"Energy stuff?" she asked, looking at the cup. "You got a hold of this junk? I thought you hated energy drinks?"

Evan normally would have caught on this but he shrugged. "W-well sometimes it helps me through the night?" He looked at one of the games and his eyes widened. "Oo, definitely wanna play that!"

Saphira raised an eyebrow and watched Evan race away. The owner had already left and went to the back rooms, not closing the door properly behind him. Saphira's eyes went from the door to Evan and then to the cup.

"I've only been here one week and I can already tell something is up." She sighed and sniffed the cup, putting the cup down with a look of disgust. "Whatever is in this, I don't like it. Not to mention, with no one in the arcade during the power surges, all of this seems pretty suspicious."

With not too much to do, Saphira made her way to the door. Evan hadn't noticed with his attention solely on the games he was playing. As a thief, she was used to being stealthy and also blending in with others. Opening the door, she slipped through and closed the door behind. She turned to look down the hallway ahead of her. The hallway held a few doors and to her direct left was a stairwell heading down to a door marked Employee's Only. She couldn't help but smirk at the sign but she remained cautious.

"Translation: Enter." However as she started to go down the stairwell, she could hear mysterious sounds from behind the door. "…make that enter with caution. Good thing I wear these in my hair…"

Saphira took a bobby pin from her hair and contemplated just kicking the door in but she realized it would blow her cover. She sighed and worked on picking the lock for the door. Eventually, she unlocked the door and put away her bobby pin. Usually she'd go inside right away but she hesitated. Whatever was on the other side was locked up for a reason and she was determined to find the answer.

"Here goes nothing…" she said quietly.

And then she opened the door but on the other side was something she hadn't been expecting. In front of here, at the back of the room was a giant tube filled with green liquid. Inside was a big green lizard like creature. On the tube there were several cables from the ceiling and wall that were attached to the tube, emitting electricity. There were a few computer screens that showed life signs other various schematics. Saphira took a step back, narrowing her eyes at the creature and then the computer screens.

"What the hell is all this stuff?" she whispered to herself.

"You shouldn't be in here." said a voice.

A cold shiver ran up her spine as she turned around. "What are you running here?"

"Ohh nothing much, just a way to keep electricity running while feeding a rogue alien." The owner said so oh matter-of-factly.

"You're holding this alien captive?" she asked, staring at the owner. "What are you feeding it?"

The owner laughed, amused at Saphira's question. "Ohh that's the brilliance: the children are."

"The children?" she asked her eyes then suddenly widening. "Wait, HOW!?"

"Simple. The more they play my games, the more electrical energy is put into my friend, Electy. And in return, he powers the store. It's a constant flow. Plus, with my energy drinks, they'll play for hours and hours and hours!"

Saphira glared, just who was this person to talk as if slavery was okay!? But then there was the energy drinks…

"Yeah, about those." she started. "What's in this!?"

"It's just the basic essentials of any Red Bull…plus alien secretion. Apparently it's enough to keep any person hyper for 4 straight hours.

She blinked. "...alien secretion..."

"Alien jizz." He stated. "It's honestly not too bad. Has a bit of a tang but whatever."

…it was as if everything just stopped. A look of pure disgust formed on her face. "So Evan just drank…AND YOU'RE SERVING KIDS THAT!?" The owner wasn't even fazed by Saphira's sudden rage. "I don't know whether to arrest you for holding an alien captive, making your own illegal energy drinks, or just…being a straight up PERVERT!"

"Why arrest me?" he said, clearly not caring about what Saphira had to say. "You won't live long enough!"

Saphira raised an eyebrow and watched the owner slam his fist onto a button on the wall. The button made a whooshing sound and the chamber began to open. Saphira jumped out of the way and looked at the creature as it began to move. It let out a long yawn and shook itself like a dog to get the liquid off. Saphira covered herself and almost got covered in goo.

"Okay this is just flat out disgusting." she said, glaring at the owner then the creature. "I'm sure Hope didn't have to deal with an alien that uses its jizz as an energy drink!"

The owner tried to make a run for it but she brought her hand up and used her telekinesis to slam the door in his face. She pulled out her containment blaster and shot him quickly. She turned and dodged a swipe from the creature and grabbed the card, running out the door and closing the door behind her. The creature slammed the door and she was knocked back against the stairs.

"Ow…" she said in a grunt.

Electy roared and tried to squeeze through the door, swiping at her with his long claws. Saphira booked it up the stairwell and into the lobby, trying to barricade the door as much as she could.

"Woah, where ya going Saphira?" asked Evan, a little out of it from the drinks. "Come on, play a few games with me!"

She held the door and rolled her eyes. "Thanks but no thanks Evan. There's this big alien that was being kept under the arcade and it's gonna kill us unless we get out of here!"

Evan just stared at her in disbelief. "...well you could have just said no." He rubbed the back of his head then heard the snarling as Electy burst through the door. His eyed widened. "...yeah, let's book it!"

"Are you back to normal Evan?" she asked, running with him.

He nodded. "Y-yeah I'd say so. Not drinking that anymore." He glared at the monster and stood to the side. "Now might be a good time to morph!"

She nodded quickly and pulled out her badge. Electy stormed out and smashed the door, growling at Saphira.

"SUIT UP!" she said, gaining her suit. "Awesome!"

"You'll figure it out as you go along!" Evan said from behind a car.

"And whatever you do, don't drink those energy drinks again!" she said.

Quickly, she extended her hand to summon her Delta Viper. When it appeared in her hands, she turned it on and began firing at Electy. He brought his arm up to deflect the blasts and tried grabbing her. She jumped back and kept shooting, hoping to bring down the beast. It stumbled and Saphira used her telekinesis to pull up a sewer grate and chucked it, smashing Electy across the face. Electry grunted in pain and shook off the pain, grabbing Saphira by the leg to smash her into the ground two times, throwing her back into the arcade.

"Damn he's tough." Evan said to himself.

Electy turned and spotted Evan and walked over to him, shoving the car away. Evan meeped and ran back quickly. Saphira leapt from her spot and climbed on him, shooting him several times in the shoulder but she was thrown off and rolled.

"Damn it. How am I supposed to beat him?" she asked.

"Your suit should find a weak spot!" yelled Evan.

Saphira looked at the alien and her suit scanned him, looking for a weak spot. Eventually she found some on the legs and shoulders.

"Gotcha." She said, taking aim. "Only a matter of time now before you short circuit!"

She aimed quickly at his lags and fired off a few stun rounds. Electy took them and stumbled back and a few stun rounds connected to his chest. She leapt and drove her feet into Electy, knocking him back onto a car. She used her telekinesis and flipped another car on top of Electy, sandwiching him. He rolled off and tried to get to his feet and Saphira slammed the car into Electy again, knocking him into the building beside the arcade.

"Oops, my bad!" she said with a cute smirk.

Electy raised his palms and roared, throwing out balls of electricity to stun. She dodged them, jumping up to land two kicks onto Electy's face. He stepped back but then grabbed her and slammed her into the ground, trying to drive his elbow on her. She grunted in pain and rolled away, looking at one of the pickup trucks. Using her powers again, she sent it slamming into Electy. But this time he caught it and picked up, holding it over his head to try and squash her.

"LOOK OUT!" yelled Evan.

Saphira's eyes darted back and forth and she spotted a piece of cut metal on the ground. Using her powers, she sent it slicing along Electy's legs, avoiding the blood splatter. Electy howled in pain and inadvertently dropped the car on himself. With himself pinned, Saphira looked around for something bigger.

"You got him on the ropes, Saphy!" he said.

Saphira looked and ran to the other side of the parking lot, eyeing a bigger truck used for eighteen wheelers. She raised both her palms, ready to launch it. Electy somehow got to his feet and Saphira began to move the other truck at a quick speed. Saphira closed her eyes and shoved the truck as fast as she could into Electy. The force sandwiched him into the wall and promptly ko'ed him. Saphira panted, looking down at the creature and pulling out her containment blaster, captured Electy. Evan had watched the entire fight in awe and came out from hiding to walk beside her.

"Two for the price of one." she said, raising her wrist up. "Power down." The suit vanished off her body and she smirked. "Sooo, how'd I do?"

Evan smiled. "You did amazing! I'd say that was a successful field test."

Saphira nodded and picked up Electy's card, pocketing it. She was about to head to her cycle until she heard some beeping coming from her Badge. She opened it and looked at a beeping dot on her GPS.

"…it's Arrow's." said Evan.

Quickly, she made her way to her cycle and turned it on. "I'm on my way then."

Evan joined her, putting on his helmet. "Could you drop me off back at base? I don't know what was in that stuff but I don't feel so good."

Saphira hesitated but sighed. "Alien secretion."

"…wait what?!"


End file.
